Problems since new boiler was installed

joel_19

Yes where is he ? We may be able to help , pictures would be good . but why are you doing any of this yourself ? if it doesn't work he should fix it .

Albert Bisaccia

Problems since new boiler was installed

I had a new Weil Mclain EG65 boiler installed in September.
On the day the installation was completed the plumber who installed the boiler ran the boiler with the thermostat set to 85 degrees ( the outside temperature that day was 72 )
The house has three floors and with the thermostat set that high every radiator in the house was hot all the way across.
He checked for leaks and said there were no problems. I asked if there was any special instructions on draining or adding make up water and he said to drain some water periodically until it runs clean and keep the water level at about the 3/4 mark on the site glass. I also asked when he would come back to clean the boiler and he said it didn't need to be cleaned. I forgot to mention that this is a singal pipe steam system. I set the thermostat to 68 degrees about two weeks ago and I am having the following problems :
When the boiler is running you can't see anything in the site glass except rust.
When the boiler is not running you can't see above the water line because the rust is now stuck to the site glass.
There is a riser that goes from the basement to the third floor, this riser stays cold so the one radiator that it supplies steam to on the second floor and the two radiators it supplies steam to on the third floor don't get hot.
I never had this problem with the EG65 that this boiler replaced, it sprung a leak in the tank after 25 years of trouble free service.

Things that I have done to try to correct the problem :
Insulate all steam supply pipes including the risers and header at the boiler.
Fine tuning all the vent valves on the radiators that do heat up so they heat up at about the same time.
Checking and adjusting the pitch on all the radiators so the condensate runs back to the boiler.
Adjusting the pressuretrol to .75 cut in and 1.50 differential. None of these adjustments seem to help the no heat to the areas mentioned but have improved the way the other radiators heat up. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. If needed I can post a picture of the boiler and header.

Albert Bisaccia

Timco

And your installer is where?

Albert Bisaccia

Albert Bisaccia

Problems since new oiler was installed

I called the installer to discuss the problem. He asked me if the radiator valves were closed but they were not, I never close a valve. He said that I probably needed larger vent valves on the radiators but I told him that I removed the vent valves with the boiler running and that didn't help. His advice was that I run the boiler at the highest thermostat setting and see if the radiators would get hot,
this made no sense so I didn't try that. I told him I read the manufactures check list and that part of a new installation was to skim the boiler of any oil that may be in the system from the manufacturing of the boiler or from the pipe cutting oil he used to cut the threads for the header and section of condesate return that he replaced. He said it was not necessary to skim the boiler because the manufacturer fills, tests and drains the boiler before it is shipped and that he wipes the inside of all the pipe he threads before he installs them. He insists that draining and re-filling the boiler will remove any oil that may be in the boiler and that this is not his responsibility. I get the feeling that I may have hired the wrong person to install my new boiler.

CJRS

you got a \"monkey\" on your back

An old expression of a louzy contractor(or irresponsible one), installer or worker; he is called a "monkey". And you certainly have a monkey on your back. If you had a system installed as recently as Septermber and having problems, he should not be telling you what to do on the system. If he's a ligit business with licencing, then contact the Contractors Association, Better Business Bureau, etc...just do it. Steam and hot water systems are funky and you dont need to be putzin with adjustments. Ever reason more so your contractor can't claim you made a wrong adjustment and he has to fix it at your cost. Advise... just let em know you mean business and don't monkey with a "monkey".

JeffD

Exactly! Anytime I have installed a system and something doesn't work as it should, it becomes my problem until I fix it, at my cost. You paid good money for a new working system, tell him he better make it work:-)