Cleaned out my sooted up boiler.

nathanwdouglas · February 24

Boiler was sooted up, carbon monoxide alarm going off in utility room. Cleaned out heat exchanger and burners myself and got it running, flames looking nice and blue. How does it look? Just a homeowner- had advice from a professional boiler guy who’s been working on boilers for 35+ years. Weil McLain 160,000btu, I think may be original to house 50+ years old

ethicalpaul · February 24

Based on what I've learned from being on this site for awhile and as a fellow homeowner, I think you want to figure out why it got sooted up like that.

pecmsg · February 24

looks good is not troubleshooting

You need a combination analysis to tell!

nathanwdouglas · February 24

New to the house. I think years of neglect, burners getting dirty. But not sure, will continue to monitor/inspect frequently and keep a co detector down there. Also buying a handheld tester.

bburd · February 24

Things to check: exhaust vent clear all the way out; adequate combustion air for the boiler; if the house is tight, clothes dryers, kitchen and bath exhaust fans can interfere with combustion airflow.

Burners and their air shutters clean?

If all above are OK it's probably time for a combustion analysis with instruments if that hasn't been done in a while.

pecmsg · February 24

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1844832#Comment_1844832

find a service provider you can trust.
your going to need one sooner or later!

nathanwdouglas · February 24

venting is clear. No bathroom/kitchen vents. Took the burners apart and used compressed air to clean them - they were fairly dusty/had some particulate.

Adequate combustion air - I mean I don’t know. It’s in a utility room in a finished basement. Nothing is blocking airflow to the boiler.

We had no heat for 10 days in Indiana - it was in the single digits almost every night. We had 5 companies out - they all said they couldn’t clean it but quoted new boilers. Almost pulled the trigger but figured I’d give cleaning it myself first.

bburd · February 25

"Can't clean it"… It's amazing how often we see people here say they've been told that lately. Gas equipment very seldom soots up like that. Every oil burner service outfit worth its salt can do that kind of cleaning though, because it used to be (and occasionally still is) more commonly needed for oil fired equipment.

As you found out, the cleaning itself isn't that difficult. Your gas supplier may be able to recommend someone for a combustion test and adjustments. You do need to find out why it sooted up though, that's not at all normal.

ethicalpaul · February 25

Is the utility room sealed off from the rest of the house? I went to someone's house and they had the boiler in a tiny room off the finished area with a door with no louver and a window that they had recently started closing because it was cold out.

Steamhead · February 25

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1844841#Comment_1844841

Where in Indiana?

EdTheHeaterMan · February 25

There is something called a "confined space" when it comes to the amount of combustion air that is needed so the fas burns clean. In order to not be considered a confined space the boiler must be installed in a room that has at least 50 cubic feet of open area for every 1,000 British Thermal Units (BTU) of input. For example, a 100,000 BTU furnace must be in 5,000 cubic feet of space to be considered unconfined. that would be a room that is 25 ft x 25 ft x 8ft high. If there is a door in the finished basement between the room the boiler is in and the rest of the basement, that is your problem.

A louver door would not count, but the basement may not be 25 x 25 so the door from the basement to the first floor would need to be louver also. Of course the first question is always "we never had the problem before, why is it happening now?" All I can say is that you operate the boiler more the colder it gets and you keep doors and windows closed tight the colder it is outside. So the combination of the confined space and the long operating time is why it happened now and not during mild weather when the boiler operates for shorter times with longer off cycle so the combustion air has a chance to migrate into the basement and boiler room.

EBEBRATT-Ed · February 25

Probably has been sooting for years then the more soot the more soot it makes it becomes a soot snowball.

You do need to get it combustion checked.

nathanwdouglas · February 25

Interesing about the confined space.

We bought the house 2023 - the house had just been flipped and basement finished, pretty sure previously unfinished. Boiler now in a 8x12’ room with solid door, no window. You think in two years that much spot could build up from lack of combustion air?

Steamhead · February 25

Possibly.

The other possibility is that the chimney has become partly blocked. Have that inspected as well.

ethicalpaul · February 25

It really doesn't matter. It looks like you found a strong possible cause of a fresh air shortage for that boiler. You can run a fresh air vent via flex pipe into that room but you should have an HVAC tech calculate it I would think. The vent is doubly good because in addition to providing necessary combustion air, it keeps the boiler from making a negative pressure in your living space that pulls cold air into where you spend your time.

Regarding the rule about how many cubic feet of space you need to supply a boiler as mentioned by Ed above, I have seen that number and it never made sense to me. How much does it matter how big a room is if there's no way for fresh air to enter it? I guess the old guys assumed that a big enough room would be leaky enough to supply the fresh combustion air.

bburd · February 25

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1844891#Comment_1844891

I think you have found your answer. A good inspector would've spotted the restriction of combustion air to the boiler… if the flippers bothered with pulling a permit. You and your family are very lucky to still be alive. Were it not for those carbon monoxide detectors you might not be. The fix is generally not complicated but needs to be done ASAP! Block that door open or take it off the hinges until it is!

STEAM DOCTOR · February 25

Gas pressure? Flame impingement?

EBEBRATT-Ed · February 25

@ethicalpaul

Yes the assumption in the gas code is that in homes with leaky or average construction if the boiler has access to enough square footage it will get enough air due to infiltration.

But it's an assumption that has worked for years. The average unfinished basement is probably fine. Finished basements with sheetrock walls would be a red flag IMHO

But all boiler and furnaces specify in their install manuals that the boiler or furnace should be run and tested upon start up to ensure adequate combustion air. Shut off clothes dryers, close fireplace flues etc etc.

nathanwdouglas · February 25

installed new door

Cleaned out my sooted up boiler.

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