Need help with Burnham 405 1979 boiler

CarlieVW

I moved into a 1928 home with a Burnham 405 1979 boiler system. The gauge glass is full and is dripping into the bucket beneath...it fills the bucket daily. I have emptied some water using the (blue knob) spigot directly above the bucket (hidden in this photo by the set of gray pipes), but it doesn't affect the level of water in the gauge glass. Both of the red knobs on the gauge glass are open. All of the blue knobs are closed.
The only plumber in my area who has agreed to look at the boiler is not well-versed and his help is limited, so I thought I'd come to this forum to ask for help.
I don't want the boiler to malfunction and would like to know the correct settings for the knobs that I see. And to make sure the gauge glass is operating properly and not leaking as it is currently.
The previous homeowner did not leave an owner's manual and I've been unable to locate one on the US Boiler/Burnham site.

Steamhead

@CarlieVW , where are you located? We might know someone who can help. I agree that whoever has worked on that boiler should not have- the gauge belongs on a hot-water boiler, not a steam boiler.

CarlieVW

@Steamhead I'm in Cheyenne Wyoming. The gauge was near empty for the majority of time until this recent cold snap and now it's full. How can I empty it? Would draining the black tank with the yellow lever handle cause the gauge to empty?

Jamie Hall

Argh. Well, the two red handled valves should be... no, must be fully open at all times that the boiler is in operation. Those are the shutoff valves for the gauge glass (they allow you to change the glass if need be, which it almost never is) and that gauge glass is the only thing which reliably tells you the water level in the boiler.

The water level in the boiler should, in most case, be somewhere in the middle third of the glass when the boiler is off (some run better a little higher).

The yellow handled valve below the big black thing is there to "blow down" the low water cutoff -- which is what the big black thing is. It should be opened a few times a month to blow that down, as crud tends to accumulate in it and there is a float in there when, when it drops, will shut off the boiler (or should) so that it can't run without enough water in it -- in short, it is a critical safety control. On yours, it is also connected to an automatic water feeder (the complicated contraption on the galvanized pipes) which is supposed to add water to the boiler automatically if it gets low. To work, though, the two blue handled valves need to be open.

You can use that yellow handled valve to lower the boiler water level too. It probably works better than the boiler drains. You should lower the water level so that the level seen in the gauge glass is about half way to two thirds of the way up from the bottom.

Now. CAUTION. Do that lowering with the boiler off at the emergency switch (and at least one of the valves on the galvanized pipe closed so it doesn't try to refill) . Why? Because, if for some reason the gauge glass does not accurately show the boiler water level, there is a real risk that you could drain the boiler too much and dry fire it, which -- at the very least -- will damage it. When you are draining, if the boiler is really overfilled, it may take a fair amount of water to get the level into the glass -- but if you have to drain a lot of water and the level doesn't show, the openings from the boiler to the glass may be plugged and that will have to be fixed BEFORE you attempt to run the boiler again.

Now the if the gauge glass fittings are dripping, that should be repaired. They are sealed by o-rings. It's not hard, and your plumber should be able to do it -- but he should remember that the glass itself is remarkably fragile, and he should have a replacement on hand (as well as new o-rings, of course).

Steamhead

Well, I've been to Wyoming. But the travel time to look at this would be a bit much. @Dave Stroman , do you know anyone close to Cheyenne?

The "black tank" is a combination water feeder/low water cutoff- a McDonnell & Miller # 47-2. It contains a large float which operates the valve where the galvanized pipes are connected, and a switch to stop the burner if the water level drops too far. The drain on the bottom is a "blowdown" which must be opened every week while the boiler is in service, to keep the float chamber (black tank) from filling with sludge and dirt. If the chamber fills up with such debris, the float won't be able to drop with the water level, and the boiler could run out of water and crack. Then you'd need a new boiler.

When you open the blowdown, do so when the burner is on. The burner should stop when the float chamber drains, which process should take about five seconds.

The water level in the glass should be about halfway up, certainly no more than 2/3. If it creeps up higher, the feeder must be serviced. The valve block is replaceable.

CarlieVW

Thank you @Steamhead and @Jamie Hall I'll give your recommendations a try. I will flush the float and see what happens.
Here is an additional image showing where the piping with the blue knobs go (I hadn't emptied the bucket on time...).
Where does the water in these "blue knob" pipes go? Away from the boiler, or into the boiler? I think the one on the back nearest the chimney chase goes directly into the boiler -- fresh water maybe? The two pipes on the front I'm a bit perplexed by.

JUGHNE

The 3 blue "handle" valves are for the auto water valve, (big black ball with the water float inside.

If you follow the pipes, the top one would go to your house water supply.
The bottom one goes to some inlet on the boiler.
That 3rd blue handle is for manual fill.....it should be shut tightly.

(If it is not completely off, then water will seep into the boiler and over fill it.)

The other 2 should be open.

When the float drops in the black chamber it open a water valve on the bottom of the device where the 2 pipes connect. (the arrow shows the direction of water flow when activated.) Then adds water to the boiler.

Whether the float drops from you doing a "blow down" flush or the boiler gets low on water, it will add water to the boiler.
If the float drops far enough, as in a blow down, it will temporarily shut the fire off.

That is why this is a critical test.

mattmia2

Those pipes go to the automatic feeder valve. That valve at the bottom left is a bypass to bypass the water feeder and fill the boiler directly. It should be closed. That is what is happening with that loop. It is essentially 2 separate pipes with that closed valve connecting them. It is kind of a cleaver and neat way to pipe it but is a bit confusing to sort out just looking at it.

Chris_L

As for the boiler manual, if you can't find one online, you might try calling Burnham. They sent me a hard copy of the manual my old boilers some years ago.

Also, some New Yorker boilers are rebadged Burhhams. I believe your boiler may be the same or very similar to the Model 50 New Yorker in this manual: http://s3.supplyhouse.com/product_files/New Yorker - CGS50ANC - Install Instructions.pdf

Karl Reynolds

Try Mechanical Systems, Inc. (M.S.I.) on West Lincolnway 307-634-7985.

WMno57

Hi CarlieVW, Welcome to HeatingHelp. Here is a manual for your Low Water Cut Off.
http://s3.supplyhouse.com/manuals/1350993347279/84563_PROD_FILE.pdf

JUGHNE

Page 9 of that paper will explain the valves and perhaps let you test the valves themselves by means of the "broken union test".

If you yourself don't turn wrenches then this may be helpful to any plumber you might hire.

It looks like your LWCO has the hex water ports versus the round hubs. Implying it is of the "newer" design and thus easier to repair by removing the water valve from the bottom via the 4 bolts.

BobC

Print out the manuals for the boiler and LWCO and have them on hand for whomever somes to work on that boiler.

Bob