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how does that work?

i ask how does that work?, the guy said its been like that, but i say ,you have no control over the burner and that is concerning
"The bitter taste of a poor install lasts far longer than the JOY of the lowest price"

Comments

  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,170
    Without seeing where the rest of the wiring goes and how it is connected, it's impossible to say how it works.

    You have a manual reset pressuretrol -- set, incidentally, a little lower than I'd like -- and an automatic one, set about right. If they are connected in series, and connected to the rest of the system -- no problem. But I have no idea where the wires go...
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • Danny Scully
    Danny Scully Member Posts: 1,416
    Are you thinking it doesn’t connect to the boiler @newagedawn? It looked to be like there is another cross tee behind the gauge. 
  • newagedawn
    newagedawn Member Posts: 586
    ahhh,@danny schully@jamie hall ,did you miss, there is no pig tail
    "The bitter taste of a poor install lasts far longer than the JOY of the lowest price"
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,042
    The 3/4" horizontal cross over pipe is full of water, giving a water seal of almost 2".
    With the cross and plugs this is better than a pigtail for cleaning.
    Danny Scullyethicalpaul
  • Danny Scully
    Danny Scully Member Posts: 1,416
    Ahhh @newagedawn, did you miss? There is a water seal 😉
    ethicalpaul
  • And the mass and inertia of the larger water volume in that piping makes a low pressure gauge less jumpy.—NBC 
  • newagedawn
    newagedawn Member Posts: 586
    @Danny Scully i ask, then why doesnt the control turn the burner on and off, doesnt that control have to be above the water line to work? cause as someone else pointed out the high limit is turned to low,... i turned it low to see if it worked and it didnt, so i ask why? ok i was enlightened as to the 3/4 main and thank you for that!!! but?
    "The bitter taste of a poor install lasts far longer than the JOY of the lowest price"
  • newagedawn
    newagedawn Member Posts: 586
    @Danny Scully so going back and re reading some comments and my question as to why the low limit and high limit controls were not working is that they are dirty? and need to be cleaned?
    "The bitter taste of a poor install lasts far longer than the JOY of the lowest price"
  • newagedawn
    newagedawn Member Posts: 586
    @Jamie Hall yes they are wired in series i checked it, so let me ask why are the high and low pressure controls not working to control the boiler? tx
    "The bitter taste of a poor install lasts far longer than the JOY of the lowest price"
  • STEAM DOCTOR
    STEAM DOCTOR Member Posts: 1,954
    How do you know they are not working? Lowest pressure setting may be higher than the actual boiler pressure. Possible that piping is clogged and preventing controls from seeing actual boiler pressure. Does that contraption actually connect to the boiler? Hard to see from the picture. Is there a particular problem that you are trying to solve? Are you having trouble with the boiler?
    ethicalpaulnewagedawn
  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 7,725
    AM I MISSING SOMETHING? I don't see any place where those pipes are connected to the boiler. (unless the cross has a 5th tapping in the rear) I'd like to see what is behind the gauge. and the other side of the cross.

    Optical illusion or camera angle makes this look like a set of controls and a gauge that are suspended by 2 wires in front of the boiler. The bottom of that cross appears to be plugged.

    There is also a hint of a fitting just behind the top of the gauge.

    As the picture is the only evidence available to us now, the answer to the Query "How Does This Work?" is... It does not do anything.
    Edward F Young. Retired HVAC ContractorSpecialized in Residential Oil Burner and Hydronics
    STEAM DOCTOR
  • newagedawn
    newagedawn Member Posts: 586
    ahhh, good point ill have to go back to look, maybe thats why the pressure trols dont work !!!!
    "The bitter taste of a poor install lasts far longer than the JOY of the lowest price"
    EdTheHeaterMan
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,042
    Was the manual reset high limit tripped...did you reset?
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,455
    I don't see that connected to the boiler but if it is not it would only be hanging on the wires which it doesn't appear to be.

    In any event I would prefer the controls be installed above the boiler water line but they will work as is if that piping is connected to the boiler and is clean.

  • AMservices
    AMservices Member Posts: 610
    The pressuretrols are under water. Mounted to low on the water seal.
    Replace controls and rase them above the tapping off the boiler
    newagedawn
  • newagedawn
    newagedawn Member Posts: 586
    edited November 2020
    i was called in after the fact, boiler was installed two yrs ago, its an abortion, the hartford loop is real close to water line and has a 3 1/2 nip in it, the header is like 16" above the water line and the burner never stops running only when the low water cut off comes on,lol which eventually floods the boiler to the point where water blows out the air vents, CANT STRESS ENOUGH , steam boilers DO NOT GET PIPED LIKE HYDRONICS freakn hacks, its so sad and this boiler is in a church, 1 pipe with like 4 zone valves????God help them!!! cause Lord knows i tried, which reminds me " the bitter taste of a poor install lasts far longer than the joy of the lowest price"
    "The bitter taste of a poor install lasts far longer than the JOY of the lowest price"
  • Danny Scully
    Danny Scully Member Posts: 1,416
    CANT STRESS ENOUGH, steam boilers ARE HYDRONICS 🤣😉
    EdTheHeaterMan
  • newagedawn
    newagedawn Member Posts: 586
    @Danny Scully for real bro??? yes they have water in them but it is not a hydronic boiler with loops and full of water
    "The bitter taste of a poor install lasts far longer than the JOY of the lowest price"
    EdTheHeaterMan
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,042
    So have you figured out why the return is slow?
    Water trapped by zone valve closing?
    Is there a boiler feed pump or condensate pump?
  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 7,725
    @newagedawn 0
    @Danny Scully 1



    But who's keepin' score?
    Edward F Young. Retired HVAC ContractorSpecialized in Residential Oil Burner and Hydronics
    ratioJUGHNEDanny Scully
  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 7,725

    CANT STRESS ENOUGH , steam boilers DO NOT GET PIPED LIKE HYDRONICS WATER BOILERS, freakn hacks, its so sad and this boiler is in a church..."

    your statement corrected.

    Now you can direct your rage properly!

    probably at me :smiley:

    Edward F Young. Retired HVAC ContractorSpecialized in Residential Oil Burner and Hydronics
    JUGHNEethicalpaulDanny ScullySuperTech
  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 7,725
    Are those pipes even connected?

    ahhh, good point ill have to go back to look, maybe thats why the pressure trols dont work !!!!

    I don't see that connected to the boiler but if it is not it would only be hanging on the wires which it doesn't appear to be.

    In any event I would prefer the controls be installed above the boiler water line but they will work as is if that piping is connected to the boiler and is clean.

    I would prefer the controls be connected period.

    The pressuretrols are under water. Mounted to low on the water seal.
    Replace controls and rase them above the tapping off the boiler

    Are they connected? Show me where!
    Edward F Young. Retired HVAC ContractorSpecialized in Residential Oil Burner and Hydronics
  • AMservices
    AMservices Member Posts: 610
    @EdTheHeaterMan
    I didn't see it until @Danny Scully mentioned it.
    Looks like a plug on top of a tee fitting.
    mattmia2ethicalpaul
  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 7,725
    edited November 2020
    I can see the back of the gauge now... in my mind's eye... the gauge has a rear fitting. (not the bottom threads on most gauges supplied with steam boilers). Now the picture is much clearer The threads at the bottom of the gauge is a portion of a nipple from the plugged Tee that the gauge is connected to.

    This makes the gauge in the untrapped section and the piping and the controls in the trapped section of the piping. The piping is most likely filled with sludge and will not have a correct measurement of the boiler pressure.
    Edward F Young. Retired HVAC ContractorSpecialized in Residential Oil Burner and Hydronics
    ratio
  • newagedawn
    newagedawn Member Posts: 586
    edited November 2020
    @JUGHNE yes there is a condensate pump and until you just said it, the zone valves do stop the water coming back, thanks for that insight, !!! unfortunately jughne my boss is getting mad because im pointing out all the wrong things in this system that his father and grandfather have done the system barely runs they are bleeding oil the burner never stops running and now that i have discovered that the pressure trols dont work the only thing that turns the burner off is when the low water cut off comes on or thermostat is satisfied, i have seen this thing running at 7 psi, i have to wash my hands of this for fear of shaming the owner and being fired, all i can say is God help them its in his hands now
    "The bitter taste of a poor install lasts far longer than the JOY of the lowest price"
    SuperTech
  • I think there should be special dispensation in the case of “ the sins of our fathers“.
    It’s a pity when innocent people have to suffer because of what happened long ago.—NBC