Water not being added to steam boiler?

Deweydoo

Woke up this AM to a freezing downstairs reading 64 although the thermostat was set for 70, and noticed there seems to be a low water cutoff light on the boiler. The water level is also really low, and now I'm finding that the automatic water feeder doesn't seem to be feeding water to the boiler at all. I've turned the heat and boiler off to reset everything, and tried the valves in all possible positions, but I don't hear any water heading to boiler when I press feed on the automatic feeder. The boiler is a peerless 63/64 series

Next steps? Any idea of anything I could try before calling for assistance? Or am I already at that point? The "Loc." only appears on the programmable water feeder after a few attempts once I restart the boiler and prior to that the # on the reader keeps going up, although as mentioned I'm not hearing any water enter the boiler.

ScottSecor

Open the valve with the white handle next to the automatic feeder .  This is s bypass valve to manually add water to the boiler.  Watch the water level in the gauge glass as you add water.

ScottSecor

By chance is there another valve not shown I'm your photo that's been accidentally closed?  I'm guessing between the domestic cold water pipe that feeds the entire house and the backflow preventer.

Deweydoo

ScottSecor said:

Open the valve with the white handle next to the automatic feeder .  This is s bypass valve to manually add water to the boiler.  Watch the water level in the gauge glass as you add water.

I've tried doing that and no water seems to be added at all? Any reason why this might be the case? I'll try again as maybe I'm not being patient enough

Jamie Hall

You have a bypass valve around that feeder. Have you tried adding water with that valve instead of using the feeder? The "LOC" indication means that the feeder tried to feed water but wasn't successful two times in a row. Check your manual.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Time to buy @DanHolohan 's book available on this site the "lost art of steam heating"

If you have steam heat you need to learn steam.

you may need to have you low water cutoff and feeder serviced as they don't seem to be working

ScottSecor

Again, I suspect there is another valve that may be closed (not shown in your photos).  Could also be a frozen pipe?

EBEBRATT-Ed

@Deweydoo

Something is wrong with your water supply shut off or frozen somewhere.

Do this:

Get a garden hose and a washing machine hose (or a female-female hose coupling) hook the hose to the boiler drain valve and hook the other end up to a cold water faucet that works (like at the washing machine) turn the water on at he supply end and then fill the boiler using the boiler drain valve to control the water flow until the gauge glass is 1/2 full. The the boiler should start. You may have to reset it.

Then find out why you have no water supply to the feeder...could be frozen near an outside wall/window?

Deweydoo

Is the boiler drain valve the red valve in front of the boiler?

It looks like the water supply line to the boiler is the same as the supply line to my washer and dryer, and they both seem to work fine... would this be normal or are they usually separate lines?

Jamie Hall

It doesn't matter how the water supply to the boiler is hooked in to the rest of your plumbing, unless you have a water softener, in which case it should be connected before the softener.

EBEBRATT-Ed

yes the red valve. yes the boiler cold water for the feeder and the washing machine would be connected. Follow the cold water line from the washer to the boiler and see if you see any problem like a valve that's closed or a frozen pipe

Deweydoo

Have a pro coming over but in talking with him and another person, it seems I have a backflow preventer that is likely clogged right above the feed valves heading into the boiler