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Weil McLain boiler not heating and making a racket

shes_apprehensive
shes_apprehensive Member Posts: 1
in Domestic Hot Water
I don't even know if this is the right category. If not please let me know. 
•I have zero experience. 
•I have no elders alive to ask questions
•I am a cancer patient who is disabled
•I am not independently wealthy in fact I'm broke.
I currently have the circuit breaker to my boiler that my dad had marked heat pump turned off because when it turns on it makes a big unhappy noise. I attempted to bleed my radiators and all that came out of them was air. I contacted a local heating company and they came and said that it was either the intake valve or the bearings on the motor were bad. They suggested since my boiler is 43 years old that I get a brand new boiler $$$$. 
Which of course I would imagine that would be the thing they would say. 
The pilot light on the boiler is on if I turn on the circuit breaker it makes a noise only air comes out of the radiators I don't know what else I need to tell you to help. 
I have a Reddit thread going on the century home subreddit discussing a 43-year-old boiler if anyone wants to go over there and see anything people have said. 

TY for reading 

Comments

  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 6,372
    Can you get a look inside those holes? Dollars to donuts its nothing more than a broken spring coupling. 
    WMno57
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 6,372
    Did I just say "dollars to donuts"?
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 6,372
    Mmmmm, donuts.
  • realliveplumber
    realliveplumber Member Posts: 354
    edited January 17
    There is a broken drive coupling sitting on top of the boiler.

    The op stated she is only getting air out of the radiators, might be more than that.

    How about a close up of the gauge on the left side of the boiler?

    Its round, about 3" in diameter, with 2 "pointers" on it, its behind the red pump. (The electric motor)
    WMno57
  • WMno57
    WMno57 Member Posts: 1,408
    Do any Wallies know of someone in Cincinnati who can help @shes_apprehensive ?
    https://www.reddit.com/r/centuryhomes/comments/198g7qx/43_yr_old_boiler_crapped_out_a_week_ago_and_im/
    A***** heating has quoted me $$,$$$.00 to replace the boiler.
    They said it might be bearings in the motor of the boiler. Both of those were quoted at $,$$$ & $,$$$ respectively. Each or both of which would come with the cost to drain and refill which they put around $$$.00.
    The red pump (we call them circulators) is a three piece Armstrong circulator. Some of it's parts can be replaced (coupler is on top of your boiler ) without draining the entire system. The parts are cheaper than buying an entire new circulator. The intake water valve can be bypassed or fiddled with to get it to work. A***** may be trying to sell you a boiler you do not need.
    I have a 75 year old Weil McLain. If your Weil McLain is not leaking, I don't think it needs to be replaced.
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 24,984
    More donuts. There is also a compression tank lurking up there. A picture of the gauge that was mentioned will be very helpful. So will a picture of the compression tank and the piping associated with it to where it connects to the rest of the plumbing.

    I'm suspecting two problems: a waterlogged compression tank, which is quite fixable, and a broken coupling on the pump -- which is also quite fixable. I doubt very much that your problems are with the boiler at all.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    WMno57
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 16,584
    It would be nice if there was someone in Cincinatti who could help out.
    WMno57
  • WMno57
    WMno57 Member Posts: 1,408
    If the intake water valve isn't working, the boiler and system can be filled with a washing machine hose through the boiler drain. If air is coming out of the radiator bleed valves, let it out. As Jamie said, If this hasn't had maintenance in a while, the compression tank may be waterlogged. That is an easy fix.
  • minneapolisboilers
    minneapolisboilers Member Posts: 4
    You probably lost the coupler on your pump combined with not having enough water in your system. If you use a flashlight and look inside the middle portion of that pump while it is on, do you see both sides of your pump spinning or just the motor side with half a coupler spinning? You also need to keep bleeding your radiators until you get water out of them. If you run out of pressure, go back down and add more (start with about 20 PSI). When you get water out of all of your radiators and know your pump is working, we can go from there.

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