Doesn't get much worse that this.

Constantin

It's too bad that this boiler had to go before its time. On the other hand, it's great that neither the owner nor her offspring shared its fate! I too look forward to the after pictures... and a follow-on report re: the fuel savings that a properly-piped replacement system entailed.

Dave Stroman

This was a 4 year old Larrs boiler. It was piped totally wrong. Short cycled like mad. The little #15 compression tank was water logged and the relief valve popped about every 3 minutes when the boiler was firing. The lady said she had to empty the 5 gallon bucket at least twice a day for the last year. It was vented into a unlined brick chimney that was mostly blocked with a wasps nest. The metal baffles between the the copper tubes were a pile of rust. The smoke hood was partly rusted out. The burners were each about 1/2 rusted shut. The fins were mostly clogged with a white powdery stuff.

She has 3 babies, one of which sleeps in a room next to the boiler room. When I mention that there must have been a lot of CO coming from this thing, her comment was "Well the CO detector never went off".

The boiler was promply replaced and the chimney lined. So glad these smiling babies are ok.

Dave in Denver

Steamhead

Can't wait to see

the "after" pics!

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lchmb

yea but

If the co detector never went off couldn't you just brush it? Must have been fine...:) J/K can't wait to see the outcome..:)

Mark Hunt

CO detector never went off? You are kidding, right?


I have posted a gazilliion reasons why those CO detectors are junk.

Please tell me you were just kidding.

Mark H

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Mark Hunt

Dave


Good thing you caught this.

I'm saving the pics and the commentary.

Mark H

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Unknown

Dave, I would also look into some

Flourinated and Chlorinated Hydrocarbons in the area of that system. Some of the discoloration is from chemical reaction.

It might be a good idea to install a direct vent system or move the boiler to an uncontaminated area.

kevin coppinger_4

Good point Tim...

was the boiler around the laundry area? People would think nothing of leaving open bottles of detergent and bleach right next to trhe boiler.that will kill a unit in short time...kpc

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Dave Stroman

The boiler was not in the laundry area and I saw no sign of any other contaminates. But I agree, it sure looks like there was. The saving grace on this was the fact that they kept the door closed and locked and there was plenty of combustion air openings. I will return to the job to see if any contaminates could be coming in from the outside. When we were cleaning up, the dust off the floor burned our noses big time. I did not take photos of this job because it was not one of those job that I would want to showcase. In order to cut costs, we did not repipe the entire boiler area, just enough to get the new boiler installed. We used a cast iron boiler instead of a copper one. I have seen too many problems with copper boilers rotting out the flues after a few years due to short cycling when the load is small.

Dave in Denver

Mark Eatherton1

Actually...

It DOES get worse than that. I had a boiler almost identical to that one I replaced a couple of years ago that had MELTED DOWN due to a lack of flow through the HX. THere was a leak below the slab, and the gents well water was hard enough to walk on in the middle of the summer. THe pictures are at my other office, otherwise I'd show you what ugly really looks like.

Good save Dave.

ME

S Ebels

Mark

We had the same situation last week Monday. I got a call from a customer about 8:30 PM complaining of a smell in the house. They had been away for a long weekend and had just arrived back home. The house had been shut since they had left Saturday morning. I smelled flue gas the minute I stepped in the house and retrieved the Testo from the truck. A good sniff with the analyzer revealed 14ppm in the ambient air up in the living room. The HO and I went down to the basement to look at the furnace and right in front of it hung a new, First Alert (poor choice of a name) CO detector. It had not emmitted a peep. The CO level in the basement by the furnace was 19ppm.

We replaced the furnace and found 2 of the 4 heat exchanger sections on the 90% LP furnace to be cracked. Soot was all over in those sections causing the flame to roll out and get sucked into the sections that were not plugged. So much for the roll out and pressure switch safety factor! They were there and just didn't work.

The Mrs., who was in the house most of the time, mentioned that she had been having headaches all fall and thought it was just her allergies acting up. She said she did have a few days where she was actually ill enough to prohibit normal daily activity. How close was that!!!???

I wouldn't waste my money or take a chance with my life on a $40 CO detector.

Ted_4

Dryer?

> The boiler was not in the laundry area and I saw

> no sign of any other contaminates. But I agree,

> it sure looks like there was. The saving grace

> on this was the fact that they kept the door

> closed and locked and there was plenty of

> combustion air openings. I will return to the

> job to see if any contaminates could be coming in

> from the outside. When we were cleaning up, the

> dust off the floor burned our noses big time. I

> did not take photos of this job because it was

> not one of those job that I would want to

> showcase. In order to cut costs, we did not

> repipe the entire boiler area, just enough to get

> the new boiler installed. We used a cast iron

> boiler instead of a copper one. I have seen too

> many problems with copper boilers rotting out the

> flues after a few years due to short cycling when

> the load is small.

>

> Dave in Denver

Ted_4

Dryer?

Chemicals may not be in use close to the combustion zone, but it would be good to check where the dryer vent is located (assuming it IS vented). Is dryer exhaust being sucked into make-up air louvers? This would also be of equal concern if a direct-vent boiler were installed.

We have seen many problems associated with lint from unvented clothes dryers located in the combustion air zone (and other basement dirt) clogging burners and producing high levels of CO. Now we also have to worry about laundry chemicals! Many (most?) homeowners seem to have an "out of sight-out of mind" attitude about their heating equipment. Heating units located in basements REALLY get ignored. It's our job to look at the big picture when we go into these homes, and maybe save a life!

Oil Tech

Talk about CO

Oil Tech

Talk about CO