Water level and gauge not matching?

mene

Hi y’all I’m new to a steam heating system; it’s old and came with my house. 

The water gauge (clear glass) is I’m quite sure completely full up (I cannot see a line). After lots of sleuthing I tried draining some excess water off. After only about 1 quart of so of draining water the automatic probe-type water cutoff system changed from green to red. Once I closed the water valve back up said system proceeded to refill the water into the boiler. 

What am I missing?

Any help will be much appreciated!

Few notes that may or may not matter:
- too high water level is one of the reasons I found for the extreme hissing at the end point of my steam system
- the pop safety valve (comes with the boiler) is super corroded and I’m not sure it is in working condition 
- comparing piping charts from the manufacturer to my setup it sure seems like there are a lot of returns and angles and whatnot missing; including but not limited to the Hartford loop

ethicalpaul

The fittings that hold the gauge glass can become clogged with gunk/mud preventing the flow of water from the boiler into the glass. Or the valves on the gauge glass might be closed.

neilc

https://www.heatinghelp.com/store/detail/we-got-steam-heat-a-homeowners-guide-to-peaceful-coexistence

https://www.heatinghelp.com/store/category/steam-heating-books

EBEBRATT-Ed

It's a good idea not to run the boiler until you are sure you can know the ater level because low water cutoffs are a mechanical control that can fail.

Remove the gauge glass and valves and clean all that up then refill and see where you are.

If you can see water in the glass the boiler is safe to run but you should keep the level 1/2 full or where the mfg recommends.

Gordo

@mene:
Sight glass fittings get clogged all the time
I hope this video helps
https://youtu.be/OgKAO8s8QBE

mene

Thank you all for the great tips! Will get to cleaning. And possibly more reading @neilc