Our Webster Vapor

John Mills_3

this is the one Steamhead and others helped out with on the planning. It is heating silently, even the radiator at the end of the house in his majesty's study is pouring out the heat which will please him. I'd post the final pix but some bonehead (me) forgot the chip in the camera when we went there today.

One thing puzzling us is water level. This is a Dunkirk with MM probe type LWCO and matching fill. We let it fill itself and it was below the marked water line. Fired it up but didn't get heat. Water fell below the glass. We added some more with the manual push button and started getting heat. Still didn't show in the glass. Shut it down and it returned the water partway up even though we had added probably 4 gallons. Added a bit more and fired back up. Had all the rads hot, returns hot but water disappeared again. LWCO didn't complain and try to add more. We did notice that the returns are level, not sloped towards the boiler. Suppose it is building up there which is why we have added several more gallons? But why glass runs empty when heating?

Boiler is on the floor, Hartford Loop is only about 8" high to keep it 6" below the water line. That do it?

Too late now but for future reference: the Dunkirk was hundreds less than the W-M & Burnham we also quoted. It uses the M-M electronic LWCO and feeder where the others use the old mechanical monsters. Other advantages was the boiler was ready to go where the others needed the steam kits added. Is the lower Dunkirk price from the electronic controls? Or is it just a cheaper quality boiler? Both? Should the electronic controls be avoided in the future?

Thanks to everyone for their help & education.

[Deleted User]

we use dunkirks

and are quite happy with them....but...the person placing the sticker for the waterlines should be fired cause we haven't seen one right yet..we follow whats written in the manual, for example 29'' above the floor and we mark the boiler or gauge glass with a marker pen...the boiler we are putting in now the sticker is off by about 5''..i wish they wouldn't even put the sticker on the jacket..let me do that..i'll put it at the right height..the water should be roughly 2/3rds up the sight glass..

Unknown

We had a similar situation last week

A new install , a Peerless ECT 5 section . Normally we use a 67 , but this time we went with the combo MM probe LWCO and Guard Dog auto feeder because the homeowner was elderly and just home from the hospital . I noticed that the boiler was still running with the water almost out of the sight glass - 3 or 4 inches below the probe . I drained the boiler some to find out if the probe was working and it took a few seconds for the cutoff to trip . When I refilled , the probe sensed water at the proper level . I am guessing that it was foam in the boiler - we added chemicals to clean it , or the water in the gauge glass was not representative of what was happening inside ?

Steamhead

That sounds right, Ron

If the boiler's foaming bad enough, it can fool a probe LWCO.

John, try a good flushing and skimming and see if that helps.

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John Mills_3

Thanks guys

We put some cleaner in, intially too much I think as the LWCO reported probe short. Greatly reduced amount of cleaner and was working as reported. Planned on going back to flush soon. Will take pictures then!