Odds of two boilers dying at same time?

Constantin

... one home I know had two GB124X go out within a week of each other, running on LP, and with an outside air supply... Each time, it was a flame sensor gone bad.

Claire

Two Boilers reading high CO?

Hello,
What are the odds of having two boilers go at the same time? Strong smell of gas coming from basement. Gas company came out and used CO Reader on boilers. Tech inserted the reader and with ONLY the pilot light on, CO Levels were over 300 INSIDE both of the units. He suspected our chimney flue was clogged since both were reading high, but we have verified that's not the case. Does anyone have any advice as to what else could cause this? I have a plumber coming out on Saturday, but wanted to get other opinions.
They are both HB Smith oil boilers that were converted to gas in '93. What are the odds they are both kaput at once?

Steamhead (in transit)

You need

a good combustion man to go over those burners and boilers with a fine-tooth comb and a digital combustion analyzer. The conversions may not have been done properly. I highly doubt the boilers themselves are at fault here.

Go to the Find a Professional page of this site to locate someone near you.

Claire

even though

they have been working without any issues since the conversion in 1993? I will search for a professional in my area now. Thanks!

Steamhead (in transit)

It's possible

they were never tested after the conversion. Actually, many things are possible here, which is why you need a good combustion man (or woman, as the case may be).

Steve Ebels_3

Working?

Or working correctly? There is a huge difference. Go with Steamhead's advice. He's right on as usual.

Other issues that could be causing your problem may have developed since the install also. Was the house tightened up with new windows or doors, weathersealing, insulation etc.
Exhaust fans are a huge problem in buildings with atmosphericly vented appliances. These would be like a range hood, a whole house exhaust fan, etc. If the house it fairly tight or the range hood is one of the semi commercial types commonly installed these days you can develop a severe negative pressure situation in the house. Very common to see this overlooked by all but the best techs.

Claire

have been working

correctly I believe. Gas company comes out every fall to do full service and cleaning etc. Nothing else is new/changed in the house. It's a two family. And the units are in the basement and venting to the chimney. House is definitely not that tight. But I will certainly find a good professional to look into this issue asap. Thanks for all the great advice.

Al Gregory

If they are FD12 boilers they are probably leaking water inside the combustion chambers. If they are model FD 12 get rid of them

Claire

That's exactly

what model these are! Are they known for this issue?

J.C.A._3

The story....

As a greenhorn, (I started working in the field in 85) I went to my supply house in 86 and asked what the guy behind the counter knew about the FD-12 boiler, as they sold them, and without even a bit of hesitation he replied with, "other than the fact that they leak?".

This was a pretty important statement to me because my parents had this boiler in their home, in an area that was plauged with constant power outages. Long story short....I managed to save it with some miracle boiler seal for a while,but it found it's way to the returns and made things pretty ugly in the process.

The boiler that was installed in 1977 was replaced in 1987. For you to still be using these boilers that are almost 18 years beyond their useful lif is a miracle, to say the least. I have since, replaced all but 1 of these beasts that are in my current customer base. The replacement for this series was and still is worlds better than the FD. I believe Smith called it the 8 series. No complaints so far.

The demon winter is upon us. Save yourself a whole lot O' trouble and get these replaced if you can. If not, like everyone else said...get a good combustion man in there and have him adjust the units to be SAFE at the least. Chris

Guy_6

FD 12

Although the FD 12 may have had it's issues, a water leak should be clearly evident. The CO is inside because it can't get out: The most likely cause is a blocked heat exchanger. As stated above, have a contractor who is familiar with combustion take a look at the boilers.
As a curiosity, and possibly foolish question, did they take any readings of the basement air itself? If Co were present in both boilers, it may be being pulled in by the draft and concentrating some within the cabinets. It may be present in the basement itself, coming from another source. If it is the boilers, so be it. It just seems odd to me.

Guy Woollard
Smith Boiler Company/ Mestek

J.C.A._3

Guy,

No disrespect to the company, just the facts that taught me. Because MOST of these boilers were sent/set-up with a tankless configuration,they seemed to leak with a breakdown of a power supply over their lifespan. Cold/hot...cold/hot was the terminating factor in most of the cases I personally saw. Kept warm, they had very few problems, hence the one still standing....with the backup generator for the boiler and freezer....Gotta keep the most important things going! Chris

Guy_6

Its OK

No hard feelings taken; As I had said, the boilers were what they were. I wasn't with the company during the FD 12 era, so I can't honestly comment on their integrity. I just wanted some other items considered.

Claire

They took readings

from the basement air itself and the air around the boilers was between a 5 and a 10. It wasn't until he used the wand from his reader and inserted it into boiler (fixture on front of boiler and where pilot light is) that the readings jumped to over 300 on BOTH units. He then walked over to the hot water tanks (also gas heated) and the readings were all negligiable. I have a professional coming out tomorrow afternoon and will let you know what they found!

Bill Nye_2

The weather

All of a sudden? It could be the weather. Hot muggy day? Windy? It could effect the draft, maybe. Get a second opinion, from a second person, or a second tester. You can not smell or taste CO, you just die from it [at the least , get sick] If no one tested , like others have stated, it could have been like that for a while. Buy a good CO detector and change the batteries in your smoke detector. The life you save could be your own.

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

Chuck Shaw_4

But still,

to have them both do the same thing at the same time, Guy you have done enough trouble shooting. Coincidence is rare.

Chuck.

PS. Guy give me a call, you have the home number