End of season best practices?

SteamtoHotWater

Now that it's officially warming up and my heating system isn't getting any use, is there anything special I should be doing till winter comes again?

I've got a new Laars combi that goes to aluminum plates via PEX though two manifolds. The water is from the softener, but otherwise untreated. Yesterday, I descaled and flushed the DHW side of the boiler. I also drained my SEP4 for a few seconds till the water was clear.

Is there anything else I should be doing? Any tricks of the trade that will help with longevity or get my system ready for winter?

hot_rod

If it is a combi the burner will be cycling and most of the functions continue to work. I'd pull the burner and do a combustion clean and check ever two years.

I'll bet there are some instruction videos at the Laars site if you are doing your own maintenance.

SteamtoHotWater

I'll definitely look into Laars' recommended maintenance. The unit came with a ton of spare washers and doodads - I'm sure for a reason. Mine is only six months old, so hopefully I'm not due for too much.

But in terms of the overall system, is there anything I should or shouldn't be doing for the off season? Like, I definitely should not be draining the water, correct? Should I be treating the water?

hot_rod

What type of water did you fill with. Not many areas in the US have water that meets the requirement of the boiler manufacturers. And now I see the pump manufacturers adding water spec to their manuals.

Here are a handful of boiler manufactures specs. Hardness, TDS, and chlorides are biggies. Also some affordable test kits.

SteamtoHotWater

I just filled it with municipal water run through my softener. I did use some hardness test strips and the color seemed near(ish) to good. Definitely did not test for chlorides, so I'll look into the links you provides - thanks.

So, in summation: there's really not anything I should be doing to my system as it lies dormant for the next six months, correct?

hot_rod

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1801077#Comment_1801077

Not really, your boiler never really goes int off season mode if it is a combi.

The manual should tell you the suggested service intervals. The control may also alert you of scheduled maintenance.

fixitguy

I remember some years ago taking the Buderus training and they recommended flushing, combustion testing, cleaning the catalyst, and then refilling with a special glycol mix. On a yearly basis. After that, I decided to not install or service modcon boilers and I've never regretted that decision 😅