Pressuretrol problems

Unknown

pressuretrols ? We started up a big job today , set the cut in at .5 psi and the differential at 1 . It ran to a bit under 2 psi , the burner turned off and didnt cycle back on ( till a long time later when we hit it with a backhand ) . I changed the control for another with the same results . I know the settings we use are on the lowest end of the control , but they used to work fine with those settings , till lately . Should we be using another pressuretrol where the settings we use are closer to the middle of the controls settings ?

ta finnegan

questions.

Have you figured out how much pressure the system should be operating on?

Is it a residential, one pipe or two?

Size of boiler and EDR?

How about the main sizing? Venting?

For residential systems I like a vaporstat better, better control. 1/2 psi is WAY too big for most residential jobs.

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Unknown

Hi Ron

Is it the same old control, or has it changed? If it was widely failing, I'd be getting calls, too, and I haven't, yet.

Just watching out for problems, on my end. Thanks, Ron.

Noel

BillW@honeywell

PA404

Hi, Ron! I haven't heard anything from our enginners or QC people...keep me informed, and make a note of date codes and what equipment they are on. BTW, nice work on that theater steam job! How did it feel to work where you didn't need the nuclear powered shoehorn?

David Efflandt

Surprise nobody mentioned that if you tried 2 controls and both did the same thing, maybe the pigtail is plugged.

Did you try connecting a voltmeter between transformer and either side of pressuretrol, after it kicked out, to see when it actually kicked in (to rule out other control problems)?

My pigtail was not plugged, but pressure gauge in another location had a blocked snubber and was just sensing heated air expansion instead of actual boiler pressure.

David Efflandt

Surprised nobody mentioned that if you tried 2 controls and both did the same thing, maybe the pigtail is plugged.

Did you try connecting a voltmeter between transformer and either side of pressuretrol, after it kicked out, to see when it actually kicked in (to rule out other control problems)?

My pigtail was not plugged, but pressure gauge in another location had a blocked snubber and was just sensing heated air expansion instead of actual boiler pressure.

Unknown

No pigtails on this one

This was how we piped it , according to the Peerless specs . I believe if the nipple or piping was plugged , the pressure would just rise . This has been a frequent problem for us - and finally my supervisor was there to see it happen . I think we are going back to the mercury control now .

Unknown

The boiler was a Peerless LC 12

1,832,000 btus - 5917 sq ft of steam . It was a commercial building , supplying steam to 3 big air handlers scattered throughout the building , with 2 coils for each handler . And maybe 4 or 5 regular sized cast iron rads . Main sizes were alot of 4 inch , much more 3 inch , and an bunch of 2 inch . We try to keep all of our low pressure stam boilers as low as we can . Ive installed the PA404A pressuretrol on hundreds of steam boilers - mostly in the same configuration with the same settings , and have only recently been having problems setting the control very low .

When you say that 1/2 psi is way too high on most residential jobs , do you ever run into cycling problems when youre working with just ounces of steam pressure ?

Unknown

Thanks Bill

Actually , this one was in a tight spot . I couldnt take a decent pic to do this one justice - there was no room at all . I have the control I took off of the big job . The other ones I just set them higher till they started cycling normally - which was usually 2 or 2.5 cut in and 1 as the diff .

Unknown

No problem Noel

Maybe whoever is installing them aint setting them as low as I was ? It is very low on the controls settings . It looks like the same old control Ive been installing for years . Could be just my bad luck .