Possible boiler leak

seized123

It’s an approx. 22 y.o. Weil-McLain P-WGO-3 oil boiler for baseboard. Came down this morning to find a thin layer of moisture on the floor extending 1-2 ft. from where the blocks meet the floor front and back, and extending about 1-2 inches on sides. Photo below shows moisture, (bowl is just to catch oil drips after I disconnected line to look in chamber). Moisture feels like water not oil.

This side is obviously suspect, but just under boiler it’s not damp now:

but 2nd block down is damp. Don’t think it’s the drain though that would be nice. Shining a light in the thin gap between boiler floor and blocks, it looks dry. Opening the side I see some parts that seem a little glistening, but not really wet and hard to tell if it’s moisture or just glistening (rusted) metal.

My first thought is to run it with the side panel open and look for moisture leaking, but then again, if it’s hot won’t that moisture evaporate immediately? Am I better off letting it sit and maybe leak, since the water in there is at 15 or so psi now anyway, or am I more likely to see a leak when it’s running? (I think it was closer to 20 psi when running.)

For your viewing pleasure I attach photos of the side, though I don’t expect anyone to be able to diagnose anything from those except that it’s old and rusty

Question: Are those stains already enough evidence that I need a new boiler, or at what point short of actually seeing water ekeing out do I know if needs replacing? Also, when does it get urgent, as in don’t run the boiler?

The first photo is of a smaller stain under the middle of the combustion chamber that has been there a while, it’s dry now and I’ve never seen it wet.

mattmia2

Sure looks like it has been leaking between the sections for a while, unless you can find something higher up that is leaking on it.

EdTheHeaterMan

So that WGO has a 25 year pro rated warranty. If it is only 22 years old you may wave some warranty left that you can apply to the new boiler (if you plan of going with another Weil McLain). Send the information to WM and see what they say.

seized123

@EdTheHeaterMan that’s good to know.

Are any of those photos by any chance enough of a smoking gun for you or anyone to say replace it? I obviously don’t want to replace it if it’s got a few years left, but on the other hand now would be a good time to do it as opposed to winter, since it looks like a warm fall and I could take the time I need to be confused and order parts and be confused and ask you guys questions and break something but then hopefully get it all done and feel like a hero.

I could also get a plumber or my oil company in to take a look at it. If I told them I’m thinking of doing it myself they’d still get paid for the visit and might be less inclined to fudge in favor of replacement.

Or I could just order a new one now ….

mattmia2

You will need an oil burner tech to set up the burner on the new boiler.

SuperTech

Thats enough of a smoking gun for me to say it's leaking between the sections. I'd turn it off, let it cool down to room temperature and see if it worsens. A lot of times things prone to leaking will be more obvious at cooler temperature when everything contracts. See how it looks then, if nothing super obvious convinces you it's done, try letting it run to high limit.

It's great to know that you have a warranty, I don't consider those WGO Weil McLain boilers to be awful or anything but if it was mine I know I would be looking at installing something better, like an Energy Kinetics EK-1 Frontier System 2000 or an Energy Kinetics Resolute+.

seized123

Update: I just ran it for 10 mins. and saw a slight but steady bit of steam or smoke coming out, in the photo just about where the single brown-gray wire passes down.

Also some water on my cardboard. I do not see a stream of moisture from the spot with the steam, so still don’t know exactly where the floor water is coming from. (Photo is sideways.)

SuperTech

Its done. Time for a replacement or upgrade.

seized123

@SuperTech Yup. A tech's coming out tomorrow to look at it which might be a wasted $100 if it just confirms what we already know, but in any case I will probably also get a replacement estimate out of it which I want to do to help me decide whether or not to do it myself. (Although a big reason for me wanting to do it myself is just that I want to do it myself, it's not just the $.)

I started yet another thread (well, it is a different subject… ) about whether I'd be dumb to just go with another WM. I appreciate your mentioning those possible upgrades like EK, and as I mention in that new post I have not yet researched EK, but it seems to me that's a big leap into high-tech efficiency but also complexity; right now I'm leaning towards simple and towards savings via being able to maintain it and (possibly) install it myself, which I certainly would not be able to do with EK, also parts availability etc. Still I am very interested in your opinion since you are familiar with both ends of the spectrum.

… @SuperTech just read your post on the other thread. Thanks. If the leak is small I can probably afford a few days for research into other units like those.

SuperTech

The EK boilers aren't super high tech and complicated. They use the same exact oil burner as your WGO. Yes it has an energy manager, but it can work without it in an emergency. It does need to be setup and commissioned by .someone who is trained in combustion and equipped with a combustion analyzer, but this is critical for any oil or gas fired boiler. I know you are interested in learning HVAC, but it takes both knowledge and experience to properly service any boiler properly. Most homeowners are not qualified for this. I don't recommend you DIY any boiler, even the WGO. It's pennywise, pound foolish .