Insurance Inspector Strikes Again--Change relief valve

JUGHNE

This is the 2nd or third time this has happened.
Insurance inspector checks boilers once a year.
This guy will spend 5 minutes per boiler.
The only thing he actually does is lift the pressure relief valve handle.
But just barely to see a trickle of water and it does not reseat.
As he leaves he tells the occupant/owner "you might need a new one".

BTW, he made no mention of the un-reamed 3/4" iron pipe that was the drop pipe and starting to scale up.

I do test and flush these, but not when it is -6 with 25MPH wind.
And only if I have a replacement on hand.

He also checked a steamer that was running.
It has 2 LWCO's. I know those were not checked as it takes 5 minutes for the probe type to reset because of tstat delay.
I assume no one would walk away without being certain the boiler re-started.

This is just a rant.

I believe the inspection program is a good idea.
It gives the service person a heads up and also makes the owner realize that maintenance is needed on all boilers.

But if flame sensor or such fails tomorrow, the owner will say "but it was just inspected"

Jamie Hall

It may not be a rant, @JUGHNE , but you have an entirely valid and justified gripe. I'm not going to try to defend the inspector -- though the terms "overworked and underpaid" are probably quite applicable.

On the other hand, maybe underpaid is a bit of a stretch. Being an inspector is a highly responsible job, and one which should take a good deal of training and experience. I'll bet not...

EdTheHeaterMan

I like @DanHolohan disortasion on Relief Valves at his Hydronics Seminars. "How many of you guys out in the class operate relief valves during a maintenance of service call?" Maybe 5 or 6 out of 60 would raise their hands. "Why not?" And everyone knew the answer but someone would say, "Because they dont always close and then we have to fix the leak"

Dan would then ask about the Green or Yellow tag that said in fine print "Following Installation the valve lever MUST BE OPERATED AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR to be sure waterways are unobstructed".

The Dan would ask "What are we in business for? Don't you replace parts and valves on heating systems for a living? What is so different about Relief Valves?" When I taught a Hydronics course, i added "Is there some unwritten law that says we can't charge for replacing relief valves? There is a huge opportunity for add on sales if you offer to "OPERATE" that valve for the customer ...and if it is bad or fails to close, I'm here to replace it at only $??.00. A lot better that you finding out the hard way that your valve doesn't work.


This inspectors needs to learn how to properly "OPERATE" a relief valve in order to allow for the most possible successful outcomes. Not the least number of successful outcomes.

SlamDunk

I'd say it is important to test relief valve but by the same logic, it is also important to test your pressuretrol so you wont need relief valve.

JUGHNE

Had he held it open for several seconds and then snapped it shut it may have sealed.
That is what I do when testing (in friendlier weather).
But it sat there dribbling for over 24 hours so debris may have flowed up and got under the seat.

And it is in a Munchkin, not the easiest change out.
Any other unit I may remove and try to back flush the crap out and retest.

And there are not always isolation valves, so you may be bleeding 2 stories of cast iron radiators.

Only one inspector really checked out a steamer; he had me operate both LWCO's, said the burners needed cleaned, (the only one who ever took the door off) and finally did inquire about combustion air that was inadequate.
His report was the only way that the owner was convinced that they should install a forced air inlet like a Fan in a Can, which they had always needed. (church holding a few hundred people).

He also required changing a relief valve that had a broken/missing ID tag.

EBEBRATT-Ed

I posted a story here a few years ago with a commercial steam boiler

with a stuck safety valve that would not open
and 2 plugged pigtails on both steam pressure controls on the same day

When I walked in the boiler room the 15 psi boiler had 30psi on it

I don't want to relive that again I was freaking out


But if you think about it the safety valve was probably stuck for a while
The manual reset control was probably plugged for a while
And the boiler would run just fine
..................untill the operating control plugged up


In MA any commercial boler (over 250,000 I think) must be inspected by the state when installed. Those guys used to be good and pretty strict. I think they have slipped a little

After that the customers insurance company takes over.

Some of the insurance companies inspectors are useless