Low water in boiler. Why ?

dave again

We turned on our heat for the first time 2 days ago by turning the thermostat up to 69 or so degrees. It worked well. Then, today, I find we have no heat or hot water. I go down to the boiler to find that the water-level-indicator-thing is showing empty !! So, I opened the valve/knob/whatever, to raise the water level back to the middle. I then flushed it by lowering a lever on it to get out the rust water for a few seconds until it was clean/clear, and that water was cold.

Go upstairs, and later we then had heat and hot water. Go back to see how the boiler is doing, and now it shows that the water level is FULL ? Why ? Do I have to monitor this boiler a few times a day ?

Also, the pipes/radiators heat at different times. Some take longer than others to heat up. Is this normal ?

PS. We just bought the house in June, and just filled the oil tank last week and turned on the heat for the first time 2 days ago.

dave newtwobedonebath@yahoo.com

will smith_2

Dave-glad you were able to post your question from home and not the hospital! If the boiler was off on low water cut-off and red hot when you opened the water feed, Elvis would have left the building. At a disturbing velocity. Seriously though, it sounds like you could have return issues (plugged wet returns) or make up water control problems. Either way, get a good steam tech out there to find out. Good luck!

Weezbo

Yikes!

cherry red + water...could be a habit you would soon lose ,call someoneto check the feed water...and see where the leak is located....

ScottMP

What did I miss guys ?

I did'nt read where the boiler was cherry red and that this man was in danger ?

He has a steam system that went out on the low water cut-off, thats what it is suppposed to do if there is low water. This happens freguently enough with steam that we installed valves to for that purpose.

So, why is he loosing water ? Could be plugged returns. Could be a poor system design and he has squirting vents. Could be a cracked boiler.

You need a proffesional to come in and serve your Steam Boiler. What you did was correct. You need to have some one diagnose your boiler and make sure it is working properly. We could'nt do that over the internet ( unless of course you have photos, but even that could'nt do it well) .

The radiators heating at different times is another thing that a well trained steam man will know how to correct. They should heat fairly evenly but if if one takes "much" longer than it could be a venting or piping problem.

If you want to know more about your boiler then go to the Books and More section of this website and purchase some of Dans books about steam. This will allow you to unsderstand the system more and better talk to a service man. MAKE sure he understands steam.

Good luck and tell us how it works out.

Scott

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

will smith_2

I'm aware of the fact that Dave did not say that the boiler was red hot; I'm also aware of the fact that he might not have realized if it was or not. Not everyone viewing these pages has a background in the field-it's important to stress the fact to homeowners looking for help that past a certain point, it's time to call a tech.

Ed_13

Hot or cold boiler???

Will,

In his post the HO said:

"So, I opened the valve/knob/whatever, to raise the water level back to the middle. I then flushed it by lowering a lever on it to get out the rust water for a few seconds until it was clean/clear, and that water was cold".

If the water was cold, the boiler could not have been hot. That aside, it appears that he is flushing the LWCO with the boiler OFF if the water is COLD.

Dave, Please describe the method (exactly step by step)that you are using to flush that LWCO, (ie, boiler hot, boiler cold, boiler on, boiler off, etc). Also please tell us the make and model of the LWCO on that boiler. We will advise accordingly.

Regards

Ed Carey

dave again

trying to be more specific...

this forum is great. I'll be getting some books, and reading up. OK, on with my response:
1) get call from wife: "no hot water and no heat in building"
2) come home, and find that the clear-glass-tube-thing-that-indicates-water-level is EMPTY !
3) surprised that its empty, but fill it up anyway by turning an orange knob until the water level in this indicator thing rises to the middle of the tube.
4) flush the unit by pressing down a lever that is located near the bottom of the unit; pressing down this lever releases water from an open pipe; I stick a bucket under the pipe, and wait until totally clear water comes out of this pipe. when that happens, I put this lever back in the position it was (closed). I then discard the water, which was cold.
5) 1/2 hour later or less, we have heat and hot water again.
6) 1/2 hour later after we got heat and hot water again, i go to the basement to check the boiler. the water lever indicator tube thing is now showing FULL !

That is my issue.

I don't know the make/model of the unit. I've been told its 5 years old by the previous owner of this house.

Thank you everyone for you information, and I appreciate this forum quite much.

Dave Fabian

will smith_2

Ed-you're right. I guess I get a little nervous when I hear of owners opening up the fresh water feed without knowing that the boiler isn't hot; two years ago here in Chicago a maintenance man opened the feed to a steam boiler without checking and wasn't able to go home to his family again. I hate those kind of stories.

Weezbo

Ed , it occurs to me that fiddling with the boiler isnt the

thing to suggest.i dont know this man,he has never done anything to me,however adjusting boilers on a Whim canleadto houses that walk offthe foundation and walls that are cut all the way around the room dropping the bearind walls and roof line with 630lbs of Shrapnel firmly lodged in the surrounding area...you sure you want this happy homeowner involved in something like that? wouldnt it be just as considerate to let him know that it is something that needs attention given to it by someone who understands that and isnt into becoming a statistic ? you have been at this stuff a long time and are aware that many a path out of existence was the result of problems with steam boilers and operator error...for many years it was The # 1 spot on occupational deaths ....rather than not monitoring boilers by computer ,we have a fix it when theres a Real problem... when there is a real problem, quite often it has proven to lagg behind the correct solution.So the lucky Dragon was watching over the last reaction to the no heat problem next time ,without accurate information and someone there to fix the thing properly the first time ,it could become a tragic event in the mans life. its Sunday...i can Preach

Ed_13

Homeowner & his boiler

Weezbo,

I missed church today and I needed a little preaching this Sunday. (Smile) No problem.
I understand your concern, and also Will’s. You both make very good points that I do not disagree with.

In this HO situation, he stated that when he was flushing (what appeared to be) the LWCO, the water was cold. Based on that, my follow up question was to probe a bit and find out if he knew what the LWCO was, and the proper way to flush it and test it.

If he does not, I would stop right there, and he must get a pro in immediately. I was not planning to attempt to talk him through troubleshooting LWCO problems or repairing it if it is not working.

If he does know how to properly flush and test the LWCO, and if it works properly, then we would be safe to give him a bit more information to answer his questions. If the LWCO is working properly he would not be able to dry fire the boiler, or to add cold water to an overheated boiler.

However, I do agree with you both, you can’t go wrong with a little extra caution.

Regards,

Ed Carey