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Burning smell. National Us “O” Series gas boiler National US Radiator Division of Crane

patm
patm Member Posts: 8
in THE MAIN WALL
Boiler number O5gW. How can I find out the year or age of this boiler or do you know? I have baseboard heat. Also, I have an odor in my house mostly in the room above where the boiler is in the basement. It does not smell like rotten eggs-more like an incinerator smell. No odor from the boiler in the basement. No odor when I put my nose right neat the baseboard but smell is in the air at face height and strongest near the baseboards. Odor is present even when thermostat is set low and heat is not on. A service tech could not smell it but said he had a bad sense of smell. He did find and remove 2 pieces of some type of boards from inside the boiler. They were like boards and were about 10 inches by 8 inches. Any information or knowledge is appreciated.

Comments

  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 17,492
    The smell might be electrical. Are there any outlets near that baseboard?

    "National-US Radiator" was formed by the late 1950s merger of the National and United States Radiator companies. Crane bought National-US in the mid 1960s and sold it to Slant/Fin in the early 1970s, which still makes boilers today. So your boiler is late 1960s-early 1970s.

    What did these "boards" look like? They may be refractory boards designed to keep heat from the burners from overheating the base. You really need a pro- where are you located?
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
    patm
  • patm
    patm Member Posts: 8
    I am in Livonia Michigan zip code48154. The boards were about 10 inches by 7 inches. They looked like wood boards only it was not wood. The edges looked charred and were blackened. Could you please tell me what the big part of the boiler is called. What I mean is the metal box, is this called the combustion chamber. Or fire box or what is it called?
  • patm
    patm Member Posts: 8
    Smell is in the room near all the baseboards in that room and smell is in other rooms too, just stronger in one room. I put my nose against all my outlets and took many strong whiffs to smell outlets-no odor
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 17,492
    Dust in the baseboards? Try configuring a vacuum cleaner to blow air out of the hose, then point it into the top of the baseboard and see what comes out.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
    patm
  • Big Ed_4
    Big Ed_4 Member Posts: 3,076
    edited May 2021
    He removed the chamber baffles , I would recommend pulling the vent pipe off the wall and look for blockage in the chimney base and return the chamber baffles . Old boiler , 50's . Hope you have CO detectors ...

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

    patm
  • patm
    patm Member Posts: 8
    What are chamber baffles.? He took them with him. He did not know what they were. I guess he was baffled!?
  • patm
    patm Member Posts: 8
    How many years is a boiler supposed to last. If I have a boiler that is from the 1950 s or 1960 s is that bad?
  • patm
    patm Member Posts: 8
    My house was built in 1962. Us National was sold to Crane in 1960 and stopped production of havoc products in 1968. So I think my boiler is from the 60 s .
  • patm
    patm Member Posts: 8
    Thank you Big Ed 4
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 11,153
    You need to find someone that knows what they are doing. If he didn't understand the baffles then there are a lot of other things critical to properly cleaning and adjusting it that he also doesn't understand.

    They last until they leak. That can be a very long time if the rest of the system is kept in good condition so that it doesn't leak and very little fresh makeup water with fresh oxygen and minerals gets added to the system.
    patm
  • patm
    patm Member Posts: 8
    Any advice on how to hire someone who knows what they are doing? I hired 2 companies both well known and with good reviews and they assured me they could help. I explained the model of my boiler and the issue and they told me that they could do it, but Problem still exists. I have spent close to $700.00 .
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 11,153
    I live in ann arbor but I don't know anyone. i know someone that is good with sheetmetal but i don't know if i would trust them to adjust an older burner correctly.

    Maybe @motoguy128 knows someone.

    There is also a certification program for techs trained to do gas combustion analysis but I can't find the post about that right now. Maybe someone else can point you there. I would start by calling some that are certified. If they tell you over the phone you need to replace the boiler then they are not the right contractor. If you describe what the other tech took out, they should know exactly what you're talking about.
  • Derheatmeister
    Derheatmeister Member Posts: 1,586
    I would Call NCI to see if they have a certified contractor in your area

    https://nationalcomfortinstitute.com/pro/index.cfm

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