Boiler Flooding

gary_13

Dan,
> I bought your book "The Lost Art of Steam Heating" after 3 different
boiler
> companies could not fix our problems. Your book was right on the money
and
> worth every penny. the house is a 1929 and the boiler was replaced in the
> late '70's. The current problem is that it takes days for the return
water
> to make its way back to the boiler. no problem I check it every day and
> blow down when necessary. Last year everything went great and so we
crossed
> our fingers this year would be a successful one also. Well not the case.
I
> have the feed line completely closed off and have still needed to release
> gallons of water from the boiler to prevent flooding ( 5 different
occasion
> I have bled the boiler down for 10-15 minutes until the water line
returns
> to the normal level during cold standby). I have no idea where the water
is
> coming from and need help before winter sets in.
>
> Any thoughtss or suggestions on what to look for or try? It is almost as
if
> the drain in the floor is connected back to the boiler (I have a garden
hose
> connect from the boiler laying across the floor 12 feet away to a drain).
>
> Thanks in advance for any help you may provide,
> Gary Katona
> 317.496.6401

Darby Moses

Boiler Flooding

I had the same problem. It was the valve feeding the boiler... Slow leak!!!

Patrick Powers

If this boiler has a tankless water heater or an indirect water heater connected to it it could be another possible source of over-filling. Does the boiler have an automatic water feeder? The water feeder could introduce water if you have water surging issue.

Big Ed

Union Test

Disconnect the unions or cut the pipes after the Feed valve and or feeder....."See" if they leak or by pass....If they look OK and a coil is connected, the coil is leaking into your heating system..

Thad English

slow returning h2o

Gary,
The returns might be filled with muck. The scenario could work like this: steamer makes steam, gets it out to the rads where it condenses back to liquid state, then slowly trickles back through the clogged returns. In the meantime, your auto feed is sensing a low water issue and adds water until it is satisfied. In the meantime, all that condensate is slowly making its way back to the boiler. Over a few day's worth of cycles I could see how you could end up with a flooded boiler.




I just reread your post and you say that you have totaly closed off the feeder. Sometimes that valve doesn't always seat and you may still be introducing water to the system. That plus the clogged returns could add up to the situation that you are having.

Thad English

cleaning clogs

Gary,

Cleaning out returns can be a challenge. If you do not have a valve at the end of the return that can be opened to allow the crap to drain out, it is difficult (to say the least).

The other option is to replace the returns. Easier to do, but more money. If your returns are buried in your basement floor you are better off digging them up and putting in new rather than trying to clean them.

If they are not buried and you do not have a valve, cleaning them becomes a matter of disconnecting each end of the return, attaching a hose to drain one end, and forcing water through from the other end to 'blow out' anything that may have accumulated over the years (a garden hose with pressure attachment work for this, I am told). The drawback is that with 70 years worth of crud, it may not be possible to just 'blow it out.' From what I have read on this site, replacement is more common than cleaning out. If you go the route of replacing them, make sure the Pro installs a valve on the end (before the hartford loop) so that you can drain and clean them out at the end of each heating season. The Pro who worked on my system did this and it is going to help extend the life of my returns and boiler.

One last caveat: use the find a pro link on this site and get one in there to take a look. I am a homeowner, like you, who has educated himself by reading Dan's books and this website. The Pros are the ones who REALLY know what they are doing.