Need Advice on New Gas Heat Conversion System

barryn

Hi, we recently converted from oil to gas on steam system. We spent quite a lot of money on it and after 6 months things are not going well. First, some switch inside the McDonnell & Miller low water cutoff went and the boiler would not turn on after emptying water. We needed to tap the LWCO for the boiler to kick on again.

Now the water pump which fills the hot water holding tank started squealing and we don't have hot water. Obviously the pump died. Someone suggested the system may not have been piped correctly and could be causing issues. Can anyone tell from the attached picture if the system needs to be re-piped?



thanks a lot!

Ironman

The near boiler piping is horrendously wrong.

The LWCO needs to be blown down at least once a week.

I can't tell how the piping to the indirect was done, but there's probably something wrong if the circ only lasted 6 months.

Whoever did this doesn't know steam or how to read an installation manual.

HVACNUT

You should have a 1 year warranty from the installer. Threaten a law suit unless the system is installed correctly. That's beyond F'd up.

EBEBRATT-Ed

OMG, I am afraid you got screwed.

For one thing, the piping to the indirect water heater goes above the steam boiler's water line. This means it will be air bound

Not only that the idiots put an automatic air vent at the high point.

Sorry to say but......................I don't have the words to tell you how bad this is.

The boiler piping is an absolute mess.






You need to get a professional in there to fix this before your equipment get's ruined. Obviously the pump has already failed.

I wouldn't let the installer back in the house. You need someone else.

Check "Find a contractor" on this site.

Also post where you are located. Maybesomeone will have a reccomendation.

Steamhead

Yet another problem is they installed the boiler too close to the wall, so all the controls are jammed up in there and you can't get to them.

The Galaxy can use a probe-type LWCO, so there's no reason tor that #67 float-type unit.

You can see several videos of this type of boiler that we've installed, showing them done right, here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA_ZKNA-k-nA4eH5qNb3jXA

KC_Jones

There is so much wrong there. This is a do over, I don't see much if anything that is salvageable in the piping.

I think your contractor may have lowered the bar for this website, not that that is a good thing.

It's unfortunate that they do work like this and take peoples money.

JUGHNE

Seeing how you have to start completely over....if the WH tank could go elsewhere the boiler could be rotated 90 degrees clockwise to give access to control side.

Looks like a steam job done by a "good hot water" company.

You don't want them back.....maybe some cash...threat of a lawyer perhaps.

EBEBRATT-Ed

@KC_Jones said

"I think your contractor may have lowered the bar for this website, not that that is a good thing."

ain't that the truth.

This may be the worst one ever

pecmsg

Cut it out and start over with someone that can read. 

JUGHNE

Where are you located?

mattmia2

EBEBRATT-Ed said:

@KC_Jones said

"I think your contractor may have lowered the bar for this website, not that that is a good thing."

ain't that the truth.

This may be the worst one ever

There have been worse here. Maybe the worst one where we know who installed it, usually they are something like this that has been limping along for a couple decades and it is the new homeowner asking why it is banging and shooting water out of air vents.

Robert O'Brien

Looks like Long Island!