| Author |
Message |
    
Redheadgirl
Citizen
Username: Redheadgirl
Post Number: 1
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, February 28, 2004 - 3:10 pm: |     |
Hello.
As I write this, it's 53 degrees in my house. Why? Because the furnace did not come on while we were away for the past 2 days. Why? I was hoping you can help me with an answer.
In a nutshell, my gas-fired steam-heat furnace, once it turns itself off, refuses to come back on, unless I drain the dirty water from the blowback (right term?) pipe. Once I do that, the furnace kicks in right away. Sometimes, just filling it with water does the trick. FYI, either way, I have enough water in the furnace (the glass tube at least 1/2 full), so what's the problem? Can it be the low-water cutoff switch is broken? If so, how can I test it out?
Thank you in advance for your collective wisdom.
|
jgberkeley
Citizen
Username: Jgberkeley
Post Number: 3502
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, February 28, 2004 - 3:50 pm: | |
As you wrote this it sure sounds like a Low Water Cut out problem.
Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the Titanic. |
Richard O'Connor
Citizen
Username: Roconn
Post Number: 169
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, February 29, 2004 - 7:30 am: | |
Sounds like your LWCO is full of crap ... you need to do way beyond blowing it down to get it clean and flushed....
May I suggest... "We Got Steam Heat" from www.heatinghelp.com
ITS A GREAT reference for the homeowner who has to 'co-exist' (the author's words) with Steam Boiler ....
Oh yeah, and its a boiler ... not a furnace 
Richard (ROC)
--Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the Titanic.--
--AIM: ROConn |
Redheadgirl
Citizen
Username: Redheadgirl
Post Number: 4
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 1, 2004 - 12:29 pm: | |
Thank you, maestros. I'll ask my husband to clean out the LWCO. But I doubt he'll know what the heck I'm talking about since it seems he has little interest in the house we just moved into, leaving me in charge of playing the super.
How hard is it to clean out the LWCO? Can I do it myself? |
Richard O'Connor
Citizen
Username: Roconn
Post Number: 177
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 1, 2004 - 9:52 pm: | |
Red...its easy ... basically you open and close the 'blowback' your word pipe that you've been doing a NUMBER of times until ALL the water that runs out is 'clean enough to drink'
Then you should have all the crap out of the way ....
Additonally, since this seems now to be your job .. I suggest ... www.heatinghelp.com then pick the link to buy "We Got Steam Heat" which will give you all kinds of good end user helpful hints and advice.
Richard (ROC)
--Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the Titanic.--
--AIM: ROConn |
Redheadgirl
Citizen
Username: Redheadgirl
Post Number: 7
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 2, 2004 - 11:10 am: | |
But that's what I've been doing (following home inspector's advice)--assiduously, once a week since last October when we moved in. Given my husband's handicap (ha ha), I'm very conscientious about taking care of stuff like this.
Thank you for the link...lots of good stuff.
|
Zeno
Citizen
Username: Eratosthenes
Post Number: 41
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 3, 2004 - 11:39 am: | |
I've had issues with the water sight gauge blocking up. I've had the plumber clean it out once, I've cleaned it out myself a second time, in the space of 3 weeks. This was after the boiler had been skimmed probably more times than is good for it, and with crystal clear water coming out of drain-off valve.
My current working hypothesis is that there is a lot of crud sitting at the bottom of the boiler, that only gets agitated when it is running. And yes, I have skimmed while the boiler is running, per manual instructions though I haven't seen this suggested anywhere else. My plan now is, with the milder weather, to try putting in some cleaner and blowing it down, then following with a dose of colloid.
The boiler was "taking a drink" via the water feeder every few days, even with a Hydrolevel installed (that delays feeding water). I am now wondering if this is somehow related to the clogging (haven't quite figured out how it would). Perhaps it is just still surging because of crud in there. |
Richard O'Connor
Citizen
Username: Roconn
Post Number: 181
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 4, 2004 - 8:12 am: | |
Skimming does not get what is sitting on the bottom, only that which floats on the top. To get the crud off the bottom (slightly hazardous) you need to open the blow off/drain valve at the bottom not only while the boiler is firing, but while it is hot and under pressure. (On my boiler to actually achive this I turn the pressuretrol up for the duration of the project.)
Once you are getting some steam (you can tell, the risers begin to get hot) you open the blow off/drain valve (should be near the bottom of your boiler) and watch the water push out ... (it will be VERY HOT/SCALDING/BOILING so you need to both wear good gloves and also be ready to turn it off when your bucket fills up (unless you're just blowing it off onto the floor.) (Best boiler I worked on had a sump well about a foot away (and downhill) from the blow off ... easy to keep clean .. no buckets or hoses required.)
IF ALL IS WORKING CORRECTLY you don't need to worry about the boiler firing 'dry' as your LWCO will shut off the fire when you've lost enough water. Then hopefully, your water was coming out pretty clean, and you can (when the boiler cools a bit) add make-up water. If your LwCO kicked in and the water was still disgusting then you need to do the same again after you've refilled ... if this hasn't been done regularly then it may take a couple of times to get 'most' (you'll never get all) of the crud out.
I don't have an auto feed so this is not a problem.
If you have your boiler owners manual ... you shoudl be able to find your specific boiler's instructions on how to do this there. Remember this is not skimming, but blowdown.
And again ... cause I think its overly useful ... www.heatinghelp.com ... "We Got Steam Heat" ... order it.
Richard (ROC)
--Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the Titanic.--
--AIM: ROConn |
|
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page