Boiler Replacement Advice

Rusty18

The oil company came to do the annual service last week and our boiler has a hole in it. They are coming this week to put in a replacement (same model same size). The system has worked well over the past almost 40 years (this will be the third boiler, first one was installed who knows when and the one being replaced 15 years ago), but I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts/suggestions/improvements based on the pictures below.

The service tech heard the leak when they tested the LWCO - it did not work and when they filled the boiler you could hear water spilling out. A week before that it was in the 20s here in MA and everything seemed fine. I did the check I do every time the heat comes on for the first time to make sure the system is balanced, and there was steam in all the radiators and all seemed well. If the LWCO was not working (super alarming) but we still had steam despite a hole, does this mean the hole is somewhere above the LWCO and the auto feeder was just pumping new water into the system and that's what prevented the boiler from dry firing?

My other concern is the wet return. 15 years is apparently what you get out of a steam boiler nowadays, but I can't help but think about the fact that the hole in the boiler happened a few years after we poured a slab in the previously dirt-floor basement. It's probably unrelated given the age of the boiler but I can't help wonder what's going on under the concrete (the wet return is all copper under the floor). Short of digging it up for a problem that may not exist, does it make sense to install an auto feed with a meter to keep track of how much water is being added? If yes, any ballpark thoughts on how much loss is normal and what kind of numbers could be indicative of a leak?

Appreciate any and all feedback!

Ironman

The near boiler piping looks correct - which is quite often not the case with steam.

Are there leaks on the system? Is a lot of makeup water being added?

Get a MegaSteam, it's the best oil steam boiler. I can't remember Crown's name for it, but it's the same as the MegaSteam.

Steamhead

Crown's version is the Freeport FSZ series, here:

https://www.velocityboilerworks.com/product/freeport-2-fsz/

@Ironman is right. The MegaSteam or FSZ is the way to go. They're more efficient and last longer.

The Steam Whisperer

Make sure they are putting in the right capacity boiler. Literally 95% of the boilers we look at are the wrong size. The normal oversizing is about 60% , though we have seen some closer to 20% and others as much as 12 times the needed capacity ( and there had been no changes to the building).

EBEBRATT-Ed

Copper wet returns under the floor are usually not an issue. Yes, put a water meter on it. It will tell you if your losing water before is can cause harm to the system

Rusty18

Thanks all. We are going with a KSZ125, which is an exact replacement for what is there (I was late following up on the FSZ recommendation). The installer said that because essentially no piping is being replaced, there will not be a lot of oil added to the system and the new boiler will not need to be skimmed all day. He said he would skim it, but it did not sound like a lot of skimming was going to be taking place. Should I plan on skimming it myself?

The installers are definitely going to close the shutoff at the end of the wet return and just deal with whatever is in the boiler. Should I open the drain at the end of the return to get that as cleaned out as possible before the new boiler goes in or is that just asking for trouble? There is no drain or valve at the other leg of the wet drain where it drops vertical, so I would be relying on gravity to push as much out as possible (there is a main vent at the top of the wet return, so I could take that off and stick a hose down). If this does not sound like a terrible idea, should I keep the shutoff back into the boiler open or closed - I was wondering if there are any vacuums in the system that would prevent the return from draining. Thanks!

Jamie Hall

If you can get that vent off -- a rather big if sometimes -- it wouldn't be a bad idea at all to stick a hose in it and open the valve at the other end and flush that return out. Keep the job separate from the boiler, however that can be managed.

Rusty18

New boiler is installed and all is well but was hoping to get some feedback on a few things the installers did. First, they used a LWCO that is labeled for use in a hot water boiler. Is there any difference between LWCOs for steam and hot water boilers? Second, they kept all the skimming piping attached, does that matter? Finally, the shutoff on the water feed line (to an auto feed) was left half open. Any reason this would be done or should I open it all the way? Pictures of each item below.

ethicalpaul

Leaving the skim hardware on is a plus, but that is really more of a drain to my eyes. It’s too low to be a good skim port. Plus if it were me I’d take off the elbow so I could see the gunk coming out.

the LWCO makes me nervous that they used a hot water boiler with some steam controls on it, which can be ok if they did it right. The Guard Dog I believe is a manual reset LWCO so I wonder how it operates the auto feed.

Rusty18

Thanks @ethicalpaul. That is a bit disconcerting as they seemed to be having trouble with the LWCO wiring.

ethicalpaul

You could always ask them, “So uh, how does the auto feeder reach down and press the reset button on the LWCO?” Assuming I’m right about the Guard Dog. Does it have a reset button?

Rusty18

It does have a manual reset button. The LWCO housing also does not have any labels showing the specific model number which is annoying. All the Guard Dog models for hot water boilers I've seen are labeled suitable for use on steam boilers but only as the secondary control. It seems like they should have used a PSE-800?

I guess the benefit of the manual reset is that I'll definitely know if a leak pops up. Maybe that is even better to have until I get a VXT auto feed with a water meter installed?

Good news for now is the system is tight and settled water level has not dropped at all since the install.

ethicalpaul

I mean, it says right on it "for hot water boilers". It is suitable as a backup LWCO, mounted lower than a steam one, but I wouldn't want one as a primary on a steam boiler. Did they just have this one lying around in their parts bin? These are the questions that come into my mind.

I would demand they install a steam-appropriate LWCO that's modern and will allow you to install an autofeed if you desire it (I don't have and won't be installing an autofeeder on mine).

I guess I thought you had an autofeeder already, but that might have been on pictures of your older boiler. Yeah, looking back at the thread, it had an old Uni-Match on it.

But also in those old pictures I see your old steam boiler seemed to have a non-electronic auto fill valve just below the backflow preventer? I think that is only used on hot water heating systems. These guys are making me nervous.

If any pros want to weigh in to refute or confirm my thinking here, that's appreciated. I am rather ignorant of hot water systems compared to simple steam ones.