HVAC vs. PLUMBER?
I’m taking a poll on having a plumber work on a boiler vs. finding a HVAC specialist. The heating system is a single pipe steam system. The boiler is a New Yorker CGS-A (gas)… The problem (flooded system) seems to be caused by a malfunctioning automatic feeder. Any thoughts? Also, any suggestions as to who…
I’m taking a poll on having a plumber work on a boiler vs. finding a HVAC specialist. The heating system is a single pipe steam system. The boiler is a New Yorker CGS-A (gas)…
The problem (flooded system) seems to be caused by a malfunctioning automatic feeder. Any thoughts? Also, any suggestions as to who is good, competent and professional?
I have been having a similar problem with my boiler. The gauge on my boiler is clogged with sediment. My auto water feeder is shut off as I had an overfill(The water backed up into the radiator, probably because of a clog). My system loses water. I monitor the boiler everyday to make sure the water level is ok. My plumber diagnosed that there is a leak somewhere in the return. The remedy is to replace the return pipes. We have not done as of yet as we are waiting til the new year and trying to combine with other plumbing work. My building is a co-op that was not maintened well, similar to yours. As I said above my plumber was Gateway. John figured out the problem and came by on several occasions trying to diagnosis it. (leaking boiler was an option which would be bad.) Feel free to email me off list with questions if you’d like.
Original poster again…
I’ve been told since then by John Hlad (who sounds a lot more trustworthy than the All County estimator) that a dry return (a system where the return pipes sit above the boiler water line) is NOT the thing to do.
Apparently, water + air = rust (duh… not sure how I forgot that 1st grade science lesson) so a dry return is a very bad idea for this system. This was confirmed by a family DIY genius/unofficial mechanical engineer.
Yeah… sediment will cause “surging” and “water hammer” (banging)… this site is a good resource
http://www.heatinghelp.com/steam_problems.cfm
The book “The Lost Art of Steam Heat” sounds good too. Very informative stuff.
What’s a dry return? I have the same 1-pipe system and am curious.
I had the problem with the dirty water that
caused “surging”, which led to lots of banging
in the pipes… one treatment with some
sort of special chemical, and the problem
went away for good.
Original poster here. Thanks for all the advice.
We had All County Plumbing come out for an estimate…
Their diagnosis: It’s not the automatic feeder, but the low water sensor. The boiler is so clogged with sediment/rust they think the low water sensor is malfunctioning and are saying it needs to be replaced along with a good boiler flush. They are also suggesting as a long-term fix that we have our return pipes revised so there’s a dry return (they currently travel horizontally the length of the house at floor level).
The boiler is relatively new (looks to be maybe a few years old), so the insane ammount of sediment appears to have built up in a relatively short time. It was so clogged up that the water level glass on the side was plugged-up with rust and the water level inside wouldn’t drop, even after the boiler was drained (it’s currently turned off). I just bought the place so I’m not aware of it’s history, but I don’t get the impression the previous owner spent much time on the basement maitenence.
Anyone know anything about this type of stuff? I’m a bit hesitant to do anything major to the place without a second opinion (ideally an opinion from someone who’s not trying to close a sale). Especially on pipes that have been there for god-knows-how-long. I’d hate to fix one issue and stir up a ton of others.
I would think that since it a boiler that hvac guy would need to be a plumber as well. Or you’d have to hire an hvac guy and a plumber? I use Gateway as well. Always been happy with them. I would also recommend the you got steam heat book as well.
Gateway Plumbing did this job for me (replaced auto feeder as well as rest of controls on OLD boiler) Good, honest, competent, professional- not the cheapest outfit in town, but worth it for peace of mind. Besides, it’s your boiler, you want it to work properly.
-Good Luck,
PK
but is that really the problem? just
turn off the feeder, and keep an eye on the
water level for a few days.
when I had a steam system, the feeder would
never kick in unless I was flushing the system..
repplacing the water feeder is a plumbing job