my old weil mcClain boiler is leaking

steve tak

I had a similar boiler in my house installed about 1955 after the original boiler must have failed(house was built in 1948). It was a model OB series 3 section pancake boiler. It had an efficiency rating per the oil company of approx. 72% When I called Weil McLain and spoke to an engineer, he said that real world efficiency was less than 50%!I moved in in 93 and went for nearly 1500 gals of oil the first winter we were in the house. The house has steam heat and most of the rooms had the copper convectors built into the walls where most of the heat goes out to the outside and the convectors cool off as soon as the steam pressure goes down.Sound like a familiar scenario to any of my fellow Long Islanders?

Before finishing the basement we decided it would be best
to trash the old clunker.
Luckily, I had no asbestos removal to contend with so the disassembly of the old boiler was easy.. ours had a sheet metal cover all around it and that was the first to go.
There was fiberglass insulation around the sections which was mostly burned away as the rope seals between the sections had long since burned away. After cutting out the near boiler piping with as sawzall, I cut the rods holding the sections together and then pryed the sections off one by one using either pry bars or wooden wedges forced between the sections. You will need at least one other person to help lift the sections or maybe one or two more guys if they are very large.and make sure you have lined the floor to the exit door with paper or rags to catch the water that will come out of each section as you get them outside. And also be prepared to split them in the basement with sledge hammers if they are too big to carry.

In its place I installed a Peerless ECT-03 series oil fired boiler. Best decision we ever made. Haven't gone over 800 gallons since, even last winter and have added a hot water system for the basement and domestic hot water thru the tankless coil and the boiler still produces steam with everything running at the same time! I fire .80 gph@140psi and my stack temps are in the low 400 degree range with nice white smoke rising out of the chimney like my gas heated neighbors houses.

You may want to try contacting the boiler manufacturer and find someone who may be able to provide an installation guide to the old boiler.. and just reverse the instructions to disassemble it. I did and it did help me understand the project's magnitude.

One last thought..everyone asked why I wasnt changing to Gas.. Yeah we had a slight price hike in oil at the time, but I am still payng nearly half of what they are paying for Gas when the actual heating values are compared..They are paying the equivalent of $2.00+ per gallon for the privilege of burning Keyspan Gas! If oil ever goes that high and gas should drop, I can always throw a conversion burner in and enjoy the savings, but as of yet, it hasn't happened!

Jackie

I have an emergency guys!!!!!!!!!!!

I recently bought a house with an old Weil McClain boiler. The house was built in 57'. The paper work says it is a type G or P-AG. The net load range is 45,800-135,00 Btu/hr.

I noticed a steady, hard dripping noise in the baseboard. It is dripping under the new wood floor onto the old wood floor underneath.

I tried to turn the water off, but the valve handle broke. So I bled the system of water.

I don't know what to do next.

I was told that this is the best, cheapest heating system. It has been very expensive. I live in a ranch about 1,600 sq feet. in Indiana. My gas bills are about 330 a month in the winter time. I don't know how to maintain this system, bleed it???????? A friend told me it could be calicified and needs chemicals!

Any information would be a lifesaver

Toni

Richard D._2

You need

a pro to fix your problem..If not repaired you can cause alot of wood damage to your house as well as mildew!You really need a pro to check this out...Pipes can be repaired or replaced..He or she can pressure test the system before and after repairs to find leaks that may be hidden....The sooner the better..Good Luck Rich

Jackie

thank-you so much Rich for good advice! I do have one on the way. I did manage to find the leak in one of the elbows and have since called a friend and went into the crawlspace with buckets to drain the tank.

Because this system is so old do you think it might be ineffcient? I guess what I'm asking is what types of problems can I expect from this obsolete system?

Steamhead

Your system is not \"obsolete\"

though it does need some work, as all systems do eventually. Hot-water heat is one of the most comfortable forms of heat ever invented, and is still installed today.

If that boiler was installed when the house was built, it may not be as efficient as a newer one. The first thing I'd do is have a pro test it with a digital combustion analyzer to see how efficient the flame is, and ascertain that it's not producing carbon monoxide.

If there is no air separator, have one installed. Also, if the circulator is on the return line to the boiler, it should be move to the supply, pumping away from the air separator and expansion tank toward the system. This will keep air from accumulating in your baseboards.

Dan Holohan has written a great book on hot-water heat, called "How Come?" which covers your system. You can order it on the Books and More page of this site.

To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

jim sokolovic

Related question on this...

My in-laws have an old Weil-McLain hot water boiler that I want to remove from their basement. I didn't take note of the model, but the I think it's what my father used to call a "pancake" boiler - with round, horizontally stacked cast iron sections, and little rectangular cleanout doors in the front. I did an efficiency test on it, and got less than 70%! Is anyone familiar with how I should dismantle this type of boiler's sections, to get it out? Are there push nipples holding the sections together, any special "attack" points for a wedge if so, or will it come apart easily once the tie rods are removed? Appreciate any advice on this.

Unknown

I always sledge hammered from the top section, on down

They do have metal nipples between the sections.

I like pounding the big pieces into the center, and pulling them out as they become manageable in weight.

Good for the biceps. Wear protective gear, too.

I pulled a little snowman boiler out whole. I still have it, coal grates and all. I don't know what I'll do with it.

Noel

steve tak

old weil-mclain pancake boiler

I had a similar boiler in my house installed about 1955 after the original boiler must have failed(house was built in 1948. It was a model OB series 3 section pancake boiler. It had an efficiency rating per the oil company of approx. 72% When I called Weil McLain and spoke to an engineer, he said, real world efficiency was less than 50%!I moved in in 93 and went for nearly 1500 gals of oil the first winter we were in the house. The house has steam heat and most of the rooms had the copper convectors built into the walls where most of the heat goes out to the outside and the convectors cool off as soon as the steam pressure goes down.Sound like a familiar scenario to any of my fellow Long Islanders?

Before finishing the basement we decided it would be best
to trash the old clunker.
Luckily, I had no asbestos removal to contend with so the disassembly of the old boiler was easy.. ours had a sheet metal cover all around it and that was the first to go.
There was fiberglass insulation around the sections which was mostly burned away as the rope seals between the sections had long since burned away. After cutting out the near boiler piping with as sawzall, I cut the rods holding the sections together and then pryed the sections off one by one using either pry bars or wooden wedges forced between the sections. You will need at least one other person to help lift the sections or maybe one or two more guys if they are very large.and make sure you have lined the floor to the exit door with paper or rags to catch the water that will come out of each section as you get them outside. And also be prepared to split them in the basement with sledge hammers if they are too big to carry.

In its place I installed a Peerless ECT series oil fired boiler. Best decision we ever made. Havent gone over 800 galle=ons since, even last winter and have added a hot water system for the basement and domestic hot water thru the tankless coil and the boiler still produces steam with everything running at the same time! I fire .80 gph@140psi and my stack temps are in the low 400 degree range with nice white smoke rising out of the chimney like my gas heated neighbors houses.
You may want to try contacting the boiler manufacturer and find someone who may be able to provide an installation guide to the old boiler.. and just reverse the instructions to disassemble it. I did and it did help understand the project's magnitude.

One last thought..everyone asked why I wasnt changing to Gas.. Yeah we had a slight price hike in oil at the time, but I am still payng nearly half of what they are paying for Gas when the actual heating values are compared..They are paying the equivalent of $2.00+ per gallon for the privilege of burning Gas! If oil ever goes that high and gas should drop, I can always throw a conversion burner in and enjoy the savings, but as of yet, it hasn't happened!

jim sokolovic

Sounds like the key word is...

"Sledgehammer" for this job!
I was hoping to avoid that type of mass destruction, as my father-in -law is recovering from a recent lung operation, and alot of dust/soot will be stirred up. Perhaps this clunker will sit in the corner for a few months before it meets its fate. Thanks for the confirmation on the disassembly method.
I will be replacing it with a Slant/Fin Liberty boiler and indirect water heater, of course, and expecting the flue temperature and fuel bills to be cut in half, likewise.

Steamhead

Good Choice

I don't see many Libertys but the ones I have seem to hold up well.

Is that a hot-water or steam system?

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jim sokolovic

System is hot water and...

I will be using separate circulators for the heating and indirect water heater zones. I don't think I will need priority for the DHW, since there are only 2 people in the house, but I intend on using 1" diameter pipe for good flow to the coil.
I realize that this discussion started with someone elses inquiry about a Weil-McLain boiler, but I wanted to jump in with the efficiency I found on the old one that I am removing. I didn't expect such a high flue temp (over 800 F) with all that mass and a fairly new Beckett burner.
I'd like to start a new thread on a subject that I have not seen covered here - steam boiler with indirect water heater, since there is so much interest amongst you all.