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Weil-McLain GV-4 longevity issue

JUGHNE
JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,042
Looked at a 1996 GV-4 series 2 boiler.  Upon removing the vent ell one could see corrosion on the lower part of the exhaust vent horn of that CI section.  The good part protrudes 3/4" while some of the lower portion is down to 1/2".  There were no water leaks at this conn of SS and CI.  The WM tech svc bulletin DDB0401R1 was located on this site.  I did get the mix valve plug out and could do the boiler tempering bypass.  The boiler has 2 pipe sidewall piping as per boiler I/O manual.  Also P/S piping with external circulator.  The only problem since install was replacement of control board/module.  I removed the blower assembly, the burner cone looks good, and as much as you can see of the inside appears good.  How much of an issue is the corrosion once the bypass is installed and could many more years be expected of use?  The budget may not allow replacement.  The CI sections came with the "lifetime" warranty implying quality.  Also would 1/2" IPS suffice for bypass considering the internal bypass is about 7/16"?

Thanks in advance for your time and talents!

Comments

  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
    GV-4 Series 2

    I don't quite understand what you are asking. Are you asking about the by-pass plug you need to install if the thermostatic element fails? If so, there isn't a 1/2" IPS plug that fixes it. You have to take out the 1 1/2" plug to access the port that you have to plug. Depending on the hole, you use one of two copper caps that you drive into the hole backwards. The size of the cap is determined by the size of the hole. There isn't a way to determine before hand what it is. Is the boiler bypassing and not sending hot water into the system> Or has the thermostat failed? Has it been changed?

    They are rather bomb proof as boilers. The only problem that series has was the thermostat, made by others that became unavailable.

    When the control board fails, there is an upgrade board that makes them work better.
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,042
    Actually asking:

    Thanks to Icesailor for the response

    The real question is how much life is left in this boiler considering the corrosion of the lower part of the CI discharge horn and the age (1996)

    The control module was updated to the 1013-200-448 conversion kit in2002.

    The plug is removed from the mix valve and thermostat element removed, this series required the 3/8" (OD) ACR cap for the internal plug.

    The 1/2" IPS reference is if the external bypass could be as small as a  1/2" pipe cross-over between system in & out on the P/S piping with balancing valves as shown in the service bulletin.  (Considering how small (3/8) the old internal bypass was)

    Thanks again.
  • MikeJ
    MikeJ Member Posts: 103
    hard too say

    not sure what the expected life is on that model. So many variables that affects a boiler, I,m sure you know this. I would hope you could get many more years out of it. 19 years don't seem that old.
  • MikeJ
    MikeJ Member Posts: 103
    hard too say

    not sure what the expected life is on that model. So many variables that affects a boiler, I,m sure you know this. I would hope you could get many more years out of it. 19 years don't seem that old.
  • MikeJ
    MikeJ Member Posts: 103
    sorry about

    the double post, don't know how that happen
  • tim smith
    tim smith Member Posts: 2,752
    Re GV boiler and corrosion

    The main thing we see on these boilers when we find corrosion like you are talking about is the boilers start to block up inside on the combustion side of heat x. We have had to dismantle down to block and separate sections. Brush out fully and assemble with new section gasket kits. A real pain, takes all day. Not cheap but if customer really wants to go this route we have. We usually find the lower section has seen quite a bit of corrosion, good portion of pins corroded away in this section but block still holds pressure.  Really important to not run this boiler too low of temp or this happens. Hope this helps.
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