What are those on my heating furnace?
Hi - Recently moved into a new home and still trying to figure out my furnace situation.
Could anyone help me figure out what are the components in 1, 2, 3 and 4?
#1 seems to be the water arrival, though it is currently closed. So I assume it is only to top it up myself when necessary?
Given #4 is tubbed in an empty bucket, I assume this is to release water in case of too high pressure in the system? Am I right? What is #3?
I have also no idea what #2 is. It's basically leading to the orange pipe in the back, which opening point to the floor (with nothing to catch what could come out of it). Interestingly, #2 and #4 are technically on the same segment… what for?
Finally, my pressure gauge never goes above 5psi, cold or hot. I've read that for a 3-story house, it should be in the 15psi. Is that accurate? We are still getting heat, so not sure what this is worth. How would I increase pressure if needs be?
Thanks in advance!
Comments
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Yes, #1 is your "makeup water" inlet valve, which is closed.
But before you do anything else, find a tire pressure gauge and check the air pressure in the gray expansion tank just above the boiler. Use a tire pressure gauge and take the cap off the air valve on the end of the tank. The air pressure may be 5 psi, same as the pressure gauge. (Or the boiler pressure gauge may be broken, so the 5 psi may or may not be accurate.) In either case, you do need 15 psi for a 3 story house. So get your bicycle pump or small tire inflator and pump the tank up to 15 psi. Once you've done that, you're ready for the next step.
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Thanks for your answer. I will do as you suggest. Would a battery powered tire inflator work for this? It shows current pressure as plugged in a tire. And is able to inflate to requested pressure.
As an aside, inspectors checked the expansion tank but hitting it with a screwdriver and concluded it was dead due to hollow sound (meaning seal inside broken or something). We haven’t changed it though. Could this be an issue?
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It needs to be piped correctly. The whole feed/LWCO/relief valve(s) thing is wrong. The LWCO does not see any boiler water, and both relief valves are a mile away from the boiler.
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You might also look around the room where your boiler is located and find the owner's manual. It is often tucked up in the rafters of the boiler room or in the vicinity of the boiler. Many installers leave them there.
This looks like an amateurish install. And what @HVACNUT says above.
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You should not put any air into the expansion tank unless you either:
Remove it from the boiler or drain the system so that no water pressure is acting on the tank bladder. Water pressure on the tank bladder will give you an inaccurate air pressure reading.
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Thank you for your answer! And I thought it looked good compared to other installs I have seen, lol. Caveat is that I have no experience. Do you have any documentation I could read on how this should be installed to be properly done?
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All the points @HVACNUT mentioned are major safety concerns! Your boiler is operating near 0 PSI with an apparent water leak. You need to find a qualified boiler service person to address these issues imediately.
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The sideways expansion tank makes me cringe. I prefer to see it installed with the threaded nipple facing up.
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What shows that there is an apparent water leak? Not contradicting you but so far we have not yet seen signs of water leaking anywhere.
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Yeah, inspection mentioned that. I guess lazy installers go for the easy way, not the proper way.
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That's your boiler. Its not showing a LWCO, but that can go in the supply riser. Almost the same angle as your pic, too. Burnham Series 2.
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Page 51 of the manual covers the LWCO. It says "A low water cutoff is required to protect a hot water boiler when any connected heat distributor is installed below the top of the hot water boiler (ie. baseboard on the same floor level as the boiler.". I have a baseboard in the basement, where the boiler is, hence the LWCO.
As for where to install it, it says "The universal location for a LWCO on both gas and oil hot water boilers is above the boiler, in either the supply or return piping." LWCO on my furnace is above the boiler but not on the system supply or return. Instead, it is on the main water arrival pipe. This install is not possible or me as the supply/return pipes are installed horizontal (lower the top line of furnace). Not sure how ineffective that makes it.
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS ! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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What about this?
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Got it. I guess previous owner must have been lucky to not have issues for the past 12 years.
Here is a diagram I just made of the current install to see more clearly:
Not easy to compare with the manual, but it looks like the whole branch coming off the top should be part of the supply line. And that branch should only be a Safety Release Valve that goes to the floor.
Back to an earlier comment from @HVACNUT:
"The LWCO does not see any boiler water"Why the LWCO does not see any boiler water? I feel like as long as it's on the water loop anywhere, it should see water that's part of the system - as long as there isn't a valve between LWCO and boiler. If that was the case, wouldn't the expansion tank be completely useless too? I know I'm probably wrong but I'm seeking the explanation to better understand.
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