What is this on the side of my furnace?

callen_03

Hey all! Still learning a lot about steam. I bought my house in April and have been doing my best to take care of the system. We had the furnace serviced in October and we also had to reinsulate all our pipes. But back to the main question. I have this tube on the side of my furnace that appears to be filled witj dirt or rust or something and I am trying to figure out if it's something that needs to be replaced or what it is. 

joshpjost

That’s your sight glass which represents the amount of water in your boiler. It should be cleaned yearly, by shutting off both valves on top and bottom of glass, loosening the packing nuts on top and bottom, sliding glass up and pivoting out of the way to remove. Careful as this glass can break and boiler shouldn’t be operating without a replacement. As you can see, there is a considerable amount of dirty water or residue in your sight glass, so would recommend cleaning it. 

In addition, water in boiler may be just as dirty as glass, and there are several threads on this forum all about annual flushing and preventative maintenance including additive treatments to prevent this from occurring. 

Interesting to see so much corrosion on the pipe at the bottom left of your image. Could you take a couple more pictures of the piping? Bit off topic but it caught my attention and now curious. 

Jamie Hall

That is called the sight glass, and it shows the water level inside the boiler. As the label says, the lowest safe water level is a quarter inch above the bottom of the tube, but for most boilers the normal operating range is in the middle third. Yours is a bit high, but if you aren't having problems with water hammer it's fine.

Fine, that is, so long as you can see the water level in the tube move up and down as the boiler fires. Maybe not a lot, but some movement. If the water level doesn't move, one or the other or both of the connections to the boiler is plugged -- and that's not good. It's not that hard to unplug the connections -- but it is not a first time do it yourself project either.

Your boiler water is grubby, however. Next spring it might not be a bad idea to drain and refill the boiler a couple of times. Be sure to run the boiler back up to steaming after you do that, to get the oxygen (which causes rust) out of the new water.

callen_03

I can take more photos later tonight. I do have an automatic low water cut off would that negate the sight glass? 

Jamie Hall

No. The two complement each other. The good ol' human eye -- assuming it is used -- is the more reliable of the two.

JUGHNE

"Serviced" in October should have included cleaning the sight glass and it's ports.
Also the box to the left is an electronic Low Water Cut Off. It has a probe that screws into the boiler and senses the water being present.
It too, the LWCO probe, should have been removed and cleaned.....requires draining the boiler which would get rid of some of the crud that ends up in the sight glass.

Did they itemize their process during such service?
How long did it take them?

I would look for a better contractor company.

We need pictures of the pressure control and gauge.
Actually floor to ceiling of all piping from several sides.

EdTheHeaterMan

You might want to get this book, Available here:
https://heatinghelp.com/store/detail/we-got-steam-heat-a-homeowners-guide-to-peaceful-coexistence. It is a good one for beginners. It helps to educate and inform a steam newbie like yourself. The original equipment manufacturers instructions is also a good reference to have on hand. This might be your manual depending on the age of the boiler. https://www.weil-mclain.com/sites/default/files/field-file/eg-peg-series-1-egh-series-2-manual_1.pdf

callen_03

Like I said we are brand new to this. We used the recommended person from the previous owner just given how it can be difficult to find people who have experience with steam. When they came we were also having an issue where when an electrician came and did a rewire for the home he cut the electric for the thermostat. I think maybe that ended up getting prioritized over the full servicing. That being said, I am thinking of getting a new person to come look at the system to at the very least get a second opinion. I did clean the sight glass and flush the system just now and boy did it help with actual having a sight line for the water. 

Steamhead

@callen_03 , where are you located? We may know someone. Also, you might look here:

https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/

callen_03

@Steamhead I am in SE Pennsylvania about 45 minute drive from Philadelphia. 

callen_03

@EdTheHeaterMan thanks! I literally just got the book and have been reading it non-stop and driving my wife crazy telling her how we should try and improve our system...

EdTheHeaterMan

I used to have a wife.... "Women, Can't live with 'em... pass the beer nuts"