please help

thenoob

hi i have a couple questions maybe you could help i have a teledyne laars modutherm boiler and its not heating my entire house propperly ive bleed the radiators and there no air left in them but i have two dials on the side that show high limit and a circulator dial not sure what they do or what i should do please any info can help

nicholas bonham-carter

Can you search online for the manual for the boiler? That would give you the first step.—NBC

delta T

Can you give us the model number of your boiler? Also some pictures of the boiler and the piping near it would be helpful as well. Stand back and take a picture that shows all the near boiler piping in one shot.

Ironman

It sounds like a flow issue which usually means a circulator or zone valve is not working, but much more info is needed.

As mentioned, some pics would help.

unclejohn

When you say no air left did you get some air out and then water or some air out and then nothing, no air and no water.

thenoob

air then water only

thenoob

pics are on the way

unclejohn

The boiler is 40 years old give or take a week. The gas control with the sensor hanging in the air is not working. That modulates the gas burner. There is water under the boiler so it's most likely leaking. You are whipping a dead horse. Time for a new one.

neilc

please,
before you do anything else,
pipe that safety valve down to the floor, 6 inches off the floor.
If it lets go while you're near it tinkering with the rest of your issues, you could be injured, badly.

neilc

after that,
where's the water on the floor coming from?
Does the boiler fire at all?
Do you have any heat?
what do you have for water pressure in the system?

thenoob

ya my landlord is a chaep one wont replace it and it wasnt professionally installed does anyone know what the circulator dial does cause i was told high limit should be 180 and circulator should be 160 its only set at 120 tops right now

thenoob

if i close off the heat to the upstairs downstairs starts to heat up but if both are open i lose heat downstairs its really frustrating and he is even more frustrating and unclejohn the water under it is from when he replaced the pump a few days ago

neilc

try throttleing the valve you closed and see if you can find a balance point between the 2.
Post a pic of the valve(s) and piping, one big pic showing the whole deal, boiler and all.

thenoob

thenoob

tried throttling them found a balance but both r barely warm on return pipes but really hot on outgoing pipes doesnt seem to be keeping heat on its way through the radiators

neilc

that ball valve is not throttled, it's effectively closed, open it back up about half way at least, you need some flow thru there.
do you have any other valves to show us?
Can we get one more pic showing the boiler, circulator, and all the pipe above, all in one shot?
also a closeup of that brass device behind and to the left of the expansion tank, it looks like it has an open hose fitting on the bottom,

thenoob

ya in a sec and the the ball valve im guessing is the long handled one? if so if i open it more then it is i lose the heat down stairs and where will i find the curculator ?

thenoob

this?

neilc

yes, that's the circulator,
one picture, boiler, circulator, and the pipes to the ceiling,
and a second of that other fitting

thenoob

uploading

thenoob

neilc

so the long handled valve is the ball valve,
I see other older gate valves, the ones with the round handles,
old gate valve will sometimes break, closed, if they are forced, like when someone is changing a circ, or doing some pipe repairs, like it looks was done there.
With everthing set back as you found it, and the boiler and circ running,
Trace the pipes past the gate valves away from the boiler, can you note a pipe cooler than others?
maybe that valve was forgotten to be opened, careful, don't force it, try both directions to see that it moves.
Or maybe you can throttle the other run down a bit.

This all said,
maybe a zone or line is still airbound,
can you checked for air up at the rads,
do this with the boiler and circ turned off.

thenoob

k i will try that and as of now with all valves open the pipes going to my daughters room and bathroom as well as one radiator in living room is cooler than the rest and cant seem to get them as warm and i havent been able to get any more air out ive tried all bleeder valves with no luck

unclejohn

You need a new boiler thats a fact. Call what ever government agency you have to or with hold rent. That said, on your supply line after the "Y" fitting on each run is a brass valve of some sort get a close up of those and any writing on it.

thenoob

the valves?

neilc

no, that fitting up top behind and to the left of the expansion tank,
it looks like you could connect a hose to the bottom

thenoob

oh ok

Ironman

If that boiler's leaking, it has to be replaced. No one would expect a car to last 40+ years, why do they think a boiler should?

And you can turn all the valves you want, but if the circulator's not working, then you're just chasing your tail.

thenoob

theres no writing on it looks like its worn down or something like that...also i lowered the pressure an i am now getting a little more heat from pipes

Gordy

My first guess is the circulator was replaced, and there is still air in the system being chased around from that work. Do you hear any gurgling in the pipes?

Did the system heat well before the circulator was replaced?

Second would be if circulator was replaced with same size.

Third. Your landlord has duties to ownership of rental property. Safe functioning equipment is priority.

It’s his job to get you proper heating. Tell him if he doesn’t get things properly working you are calling a heating specialist, and taking the fee off his rent.

JUGHNE

Where the 2 large pipe connect on the upper left side of the boiler is there any marking indicating--inlet/outlet or supply/return?

Also near those pipes in the side of the boiler is a small "petcock" that might be an air bleeder for the boiler itself.

Ironman

Gordy, look at the date code on the circulator. Unless it's been sitting on a shelf for 20 years, it's not new.

Gordy

Ironman said:

Gordy, look at the date code on the circulator. Unless it's been sitting on a shelf for 20 years, it's not new.

The one post says the water under the boiler was from replacing the pump a few days ago..... but yeah you're right she’s a 98. Was kinda wondering looking at the flange bolts........

JUGHNE

Pump could be "new" to this basement/boiler.
Some landlords want to keep it cheap and would be find with a pre-owned pump.
He should know that he did not get a new item.
It looks like a save item from a tear out.

Is it big enough for the job? And pumping in the right direction?