New boiler keeping us up all night!

Whats the pressuretrol set at maybe they didn't lower the setting ? On another note when i do a cleaning even on a new install the lwco probe gets removed and cleaned as does the pigtail dirty boiler tend to clog the pigtail plus aside from the factory pressure gauge a decent 0-3 psi gauge is a standard on my installs i don.t think that breaks the bank .I would also kick that cycle guard lwco to the curb and install a non cycling low water cut off . That cycle guard is insurance policy for mis piped boiler cause problems always appear when ya finally building pressure and a boiler which intermittently cycles off hides those issues but it can in some cases of lower water volume from original system work out but in general i just about always remove and upgrade to a non cycling lwco and leave the old cycle guard and its extra probe there . As in some cases of mis piped boiler that cycle guard works out and hides poor installs and single use of tapping especially on side outlet boilers

peace and good luck clammy

If this homeowner had a 10% or more retainage or holdback until the system was proven to meet expected or promised performance, he would at least have had some extra cash to pay for its correction, just sayin. My guess is these installers have no clue how to resolve the problems they created based on above post. And, these installers likely went to a local bar after collecting the balance due drinking over what a loser the homeowner is for paying for an untested system. Is the homeowner getting charged for the installers returning to fix problem they created and unqualified to fix after paying 18K?

These scam unqualified steam boiler installer posts are all over this site again and again…..

Regards,

RTW

CLAMMY's Post above is worth repeating in this matter:

"I will give them some credit they did it in steel pipe which in nj is not the most common thing seen on steam boilers being not everyone is the mind set of doing the completely right job only a few idiots out here . And i know i lose to these types all the time but that's fine by me ain't my house ain' t my bills ain t the one putting up w it . Sorry if it comes off arrogant or elitist but after you see this shadiness and bull all the time on alot of jobs it gets to ya and after a while you stop putting up a good argument as to your price and let them have some one do the job and then they realize they did not get what they though they where getting but got hosed and of course re do are always about as much money as the garbage install was . Just cant make it up living the dream!

peace and good luck clammy"

Regards,

RTW

Paul the reason i always push for insulation is aside from being put on before we where born and it does serve a purpose is .

1 Improve even steam distribution even w perfect main venting a uninsulated steam main will never deliver steam to the run out or rads evenly being it has to heat the main and run to a point where it not turn back to condensate plus it still may be steam but at a lower temp being its losing temp till the main pretty pretty hot

2 pipe grooving and leaks yes a steam main will always have condensate forming and running to a wet return or dry return .The issue is when a steam main is un insulated there is much more condensate being formed on start up till that main is hot . Most leaks i encounter on steam mains are usually on uninsulated mains just about always . And w always comes at the joints the thinnest section of the piping it aint a coincident, i would think . Yeah ya get leaks on piping sags water seating and undervented steam mains but usually the water hammer gets you there first

3 Waste of fuel . Plain and simple and i know this as one of the four noble truths . In a distance past i work for a bit doing oil service and installs and advised more then a few customer's upon there complaints about fuel usage and over bearingly baking basement to insulate the steam mains and take offs . I quoted them a price and did the work all where completely amazed at the total difference the insulated piping made from the basement not being 100 degrees to radiators that would never heat now are working . They also had the benefit of using less fuel and being able to lower there stats and finally have even steam distribution . Everyone of them reported using between 20 to 30 % less fuel . That may not seem like much but if your burning 4 to 5 gph its something .

4 Banging not everyone basement is sealed some are like a open barn door in which case you can except some banging from time to time ,cold pipes heating up vacuum forming and bang and again waste of energy

aside from all that its the right thing to do if you want to do it right as the dead men would have done and yes everyone hates insulation its itchy so what grow up man up and either do it or pay a insulation company to do it .

Here's some thoughts if ya think bout it in nyc every heating/cooling pipe on new work has to be insulated its energy code ,even if its low temp radiant .

drips bangs and leaks just food for thought

peace and good luck clammy

Thanks for your generous description there Clammy. We can definitely agree that insulating the mains keeps unwanted heat out of the basement and into the areas where it's desired.

Hmm. Sorry to hear that. So if it was working ok, why'd you replace it?

Those Arcos may not be the most efficient, but the do last pretty much forever.

That water is clearly full of manufacturing oil, dirt and whatever. It does not look like it has been skimmed to me, at all. Ed is right, it needs washing soda/powder then skimming.

The equalizer doesn't bother me because I know once the water quality is good on this little boiler, there will be no water carrying into the header even with the undersized pipe.

You should see just how much I can throttle down my supply pipe and it's just fine. Steam can squeeze. I'll show you in a video soon. Edit: I made the video and here it is

@ethicalpaul don't forget he does not have the excellent piping and drop header you have he has 1 2" supply. The equalizer may come into play here.

I say skim it and try it. I wouldn't repipe the equalizer unless it doesn't work.

@benjamin1618

You need to look in the boiler manual and find out how much water you boiler hold at the normal water level. Then buy some Arm & hammer washing soda. 1 pound does 50 gallons of boiler water so you have to figure out how much to put in based on how much water your boiler holds.

Drain the boiler to the bottom of the sight glass.

They may have to take the safety valve off the boiler to add the soda.

Mix the washing soda in some water in a bucket and pour it in the boiler through the safety valve opening.

Replace the safety valve

Fill the boiler to 1/2 a glass

Start the boiler and run it until the supply pipe just starts to make steam and shut it off

Make sure the boiler has no pressure and take off the skim plug. Put a 2 1/2 x 1/2 bushing where the plug was

Put a bucket under the skim tapping

add water to the boiler slowly until it comes out the skim tapping

Adjust the water feed you only want the water stream to come out the size of a pencil

Do this until the water is clear. It may take an hour or so.

Then drain the boiler replace the skim plug, Or better yet install a 1/2" valve on the bushing.

When the boiler is cool enough fill it up to the top of the gauge glass…then drain it. Do this 2 times

Then refill the boiler and run it normally and see how it goes. This first time may get rid of all the oil but you may need to do it again but I doubt it.

This:

Is not acceptable. Agree with the above:

Flush, clean with TSP or equivalent, flush again and skim until the water is clear AND there's no surface layer of oil.

I have 8 way in this boiler, hence the color, but notice it's clear.

Regarding the banging, I think your Hartford Loop is too high. The crossover needs to be below the waterline.

But clean up the water first, as that may be a solve in itself.

Or is it an issue when the "new" boiler has a water line that is too high?

Strange, when I went to Dunkirk's web site they were still showing 2-1/2" recommendation for the supply and also the header.

But anyway, as I indicated I might do, I made a video showing how steam is very flexible and squeezable and can still perform OK even when the installer isn't great and uses piping that is too small. Here it is.