Plumbing Tips: Maintaining Your Boiler
As a licensed plumber, I field calls from homeowners daily this time of year with requests for service calls which could easily have been avoided. What follows are a few tips for the residential steam heating systems typically found in brownstones. Water Level. Keep the water in your boiler at a safe level. Automatic water…
As a licensed plumber, I field calls from homeowners daily this time of year with requests for service calls which could easily have been avoided. What follows are a few tips for the residential steam heating systems typically found in brownstones.
Water Level. Keep the water in your boiler at a safe level. Automatic water feeders are an excellent convenience and safety feature but they are no substitute for a weekly visit to the cellar during the heating season. When the boiler is cold, the water level is best kept in the top third portion of the glass tube. Know how to fill it manually and take notice of how often the boiler needs fresh water. In most cases, a well-functioning steam boiler should not need water added more than once every 4-6 weeks.
Flushing. Flush the boiler ONLY if you have a “float-type” low water cut off. Our parents spent what probably amounted to years of their lives “flushing the boiler” every winter. That process was misnamed as pulling up on that handle and releasing that horrible brown water was only a maintenance procedure that applied to the proper function of the cut-off itself. It didn’t benefit the boiler at all. Know what type of low water cut off is installed on your boiler and follow the maintenance procedures that apply to it specifically.
General Inspection. In winter time, be sure to check the overall condition of your boiler and heating system. A common sense approach works best. Is there any evidence of a water, gas or oil leak? Is there rust or corrosion found on any part of the boiler piping or the boiler itself? Keep a close eye on those areas as they may be vulnerable to breakdown. They may also indicate a larger problem in progress or forming.
John Cataneo is Master Plumber Licensed by The City of New York. He is reachable at 718.980-0909 or through his company’s website at GatewayPlumbing.com.
I know nothing about flushing but, the water tube on my boiler has rusty water in it so I can’t see the actual water. level. I assume this means it needs flushing, right? Please advise. The boiler is not that old (less than 15 years) but the pipes and house are old (1900). Thanks!
Would also like to add: Great feature. How do you know if you have a “float type” boiler?
I’m such a novice at this. I have to fill my boiler about once every 2 weeks. Is there a way to make it more efficient. The thing is ancient.
Just wanted to add to the chorus: excellent feature.
If you have a “float-type” shutoff, you would do well to have THAT inspected. From my own experience as a new building owner in 1997 (and getting no initial “head’s up” from the previous owner abaout how to deal with the boiler), I found myself unaware that the system needed to be drained in the “off season”. Subsequently in March ’99 (and in 32 degree weather), my pregnent wife informed me at 5AM that the hallway was full of acrid yellow smoke. I raced downstairs to the basement, shut the gas, the power to the boiler, and the water lines. After opening the cellars doors and windows, I found myself in the dark basement lit by the nerve-wracking glow of a cracked cherry red cast iron boiler. The float had gotten “stuck by the muck” in the “there’s enough water in the system so keep on firing” position. Take heed as the master plumbers around here. We were very, very, very lucky that night. According to the plumber that replaced the unit, another 30 minutes and the place, via the boiler, would have exploded. To quote him again, “you got lucky.”
The bottom line here is, if you don’t what you’re doing, ask, or pay someone who does.
Now I live somewhere else, and I use forced hot air, but I miss the toastyness of the boiler.
I don’t believe this. My boiler/oil company has my mother and I “flushing” everyday. It did not sound right to me, but what do I know? Thanks master plumber.
cool feature – we’d love more of this
thx Master Plvmber and Brownstoner
you should flush it when it is not running, unless you want to burn your hand. Flushing the boiler gets all that sediment and gunk out that can clog the boiler. I do mine at least once a week. Those 90 year old pipes have lots of oxidation. I also put a chemical in the water to help with scaling.
John – This is great information. Thanks so much.
If one does have the “float-type” boiler, what is the reasoning for flushing? Why is there not an issue with corroding the inside of the boiler with the fresh water as with the non “float-type”?
Also, does the flushing have to happen when the boiler is not running?
Thanks again!
my boiler guy told me to flush the dirty water out of the boiler once a week, which i think he said once a week so i’d get to it at least once a month.
but i think it cleans out the sediment from the bottom AS well as checks on the auto refill functioning of the boiler.