Boiler crack check

seized123

If a customer called and asked you to check the overall condition of their old boiler - the guts of the boiler itself, heat exchanger etc, not the piping, burner and so on - what would you look at?

I am doing some upgrading to my system thanks mostly to help from this forum, and in the process will have the 22 year old Weil-McLain P-WGO-3 open to see if it’s sooted up since the last cleaning and “tuneup” (when they didn’t tune much up). 

What can I look for? Where should I look for cracks, and will they be obvious? When a boiler “goes”, does that just mean cracks or are there other ways a boiler can “go” that there might be signs of? Basically I’m trying to reassure myself about its condition since I’m spending a bunch of time and money on the surrounding stuff.

mattmia2

Is it steam or hot water? If it is hot water and there isn't water on the floor the heat exchanger is good.

A professional would have to look at all of it, the burners and combustion chamber, the flue collector, the vent system and connector and should do a combustion analysis if it is gas and must do an analysis and more if it is oil. They need to test the safeties and make sure the controls are correct. They need to make sure the whole system is safe.

seized123

Thanks @mattmia2, it’s hot water, so that’s reassuring. 

As for the other stuff you mention, I’m upgrading the entire supply line to be up to code (it wasn’t), changing out the flue/chimney connection piping to comply with draft control manufacturer’s requirements (and with the correct size draft control, which it wasn’t), putting in a new pump (the more bio-fuel compatible SUNTEC), putting in updated Carlin primary control (burner’s a Beckett) and a new combustion chamber liner, then I’ll check check pressure, electrode etc. and for draft, smoke, and CO2 with this used wet kit I bought, almost ALL of this using what I’ve learned on this forum! (Not done yet, we’ll see how all this goes …) But then I definitely plan to take your advice and have a pro come in with a digital analyzer and check everything out.  

EBEBRATT-Ed

With HW if its holding pressure it should be ok. It is always possible to have a really small leak that the heat of the boiler evaporates (you don't see water) but that is unlikely. And if that happens you will likely see corrosion of some type.

When it is opened for cleaning look around. Any surface rust can basically be ignored unless you see deep pitting or powder (like an ugly growth) that would show a leak

seized123

Ed, I’ll do that, thanks.