H2O system problems

Sadowski

Recently bought (72)yr. old home with hot water heating system. Within last two-three weeks have noticed that radiators work intermittantly throughout the house. Day to day, hour to hour some radiators very hot, other ice cold.
The system has a cast iron boiler, appropriate piping, a circulating pump with heat exchangers in each room, (2-story) 2800SQ ft. Some exchangers are of the copper tube type and are located in the walls near the floor, with flues that open near the ceiling, while others-mainly under windows are more conventional radiators built within the walls. The burner is gas-fired, converted from oil. The pressure in the boiler reads 5-7psi, Iam able to increase the pressure easily by adding water, but within 10-15mins.
returns to 5-7. I have had two heating guys out who seem to be stumped. No leaks were found. The house sits on a 2.5Ft
crawl space, it has poured concrete first and second floors.
There is one pipe that leads to the attached garage which
seems underground and can't be inspected. This radiator is the hotest in the structure for the past 10 days and is closest to the boiler. Can you loose pressure without a leak? The circulating pump is dated, vertically mounted, and
seems to be working. Any ideas? Need heat in Northwest OHIO.

Al Letellier

ghost leaks

It sounds like you have a pressure problem in that 5-7 is barely enough to get to the second floor. Use an add on gauge on a boiler drain or purge valve to rule out a faulty gauge. Shut off the boiler and the water feed and see if the pressure drops all the way. This will prove a leak and you'll have to find it (suspect that underground line). Isolate it if you can and then check the rest of the system.
Have your pros do it. This can be type consuming, but with patience and an open mind, you can find/fix any problem with your system.

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