Steam Boiler Question
My plumber serviced my boiler about four months ago, but the heating has been spotty, sometimes great other times it does not go on. He just came out again and told me that I have to replace the water in our steam boiler every week in order to keep sediment from messing up the works….
My plumber serviced my boiler about four months ago, but the heating has been spotty, sometimes great other times it does not go on. He just came out again and told me that I have to replace the water in our steam boiler every week in order to keep sediment from messing up the works. This seems excessive. Is this a sign that there is a bigger problem or are all steam boilers this high maintenance?
eman1234.You are right,most of the installs were done incorrectly and sometimes you have to change the near boiler piping to make the system work properly.Sadly most installers do not take the time to skimm the boiler after the job is done.
birchwoods is bang on, but sadly enough too many houses in brooklyn date back to when this was a poor neighborhood with absolutely crappy maintenance and installations..a lot of the installs were done by the absolutely cheapest guys who did not have a clue as to what they were doing..way too often you are dealing with a bad 20 year old installation where everything was done wrong…always a joy when you can actually make it work
Every new steam boiler installed should have a pipe installed above the water line of the boiler to allow the excess sediment to be “skimmed”off the top of the boiler water line,by running the boiler,when hot and simultaneously flooding the boiler to cause the sediment normally laying at the bottom of the boiler to be in suspends and leave the boiler through the pipe installed.After this,the plumber should pour in a rust inhibitor with a ph balance neutraliser to create the right ph balance needed for proper boiler operation.This process of skimming and chemically trating the boiler should be done at least,once a year.Also have the plumber check the air valves in the system.
Thanks for the comments. I guess the weekly thing is not so unusual. The heat is regulated by a digital thermostat. I did ask about why the heat does not consistently come on even though the temp is reading below the turn on point. He thinks it might be the thermostat, so he is checking that out.
So many things with this first house business. Wish I could still call on my super 🙂
Thanks for the comments. I guess the weekly thing is not so unusal. The heat is regulated by a digital thermostat. I did ask about why the heat does not consistently come on even though the temp is reading below the turn on point. He thinks it might be the thermostat, so he is checking that out.
So many things with this first house business. Wish I could still call on my super 🙂
i still cant get a handle on what you mean by “sometimes it does not come on”…that indicates a control or limit problem
You need to flush a steam boiler weekly if it is fitted with a float-type mechanical low water cut off.
Much less frequently if the boiler uses an electronic probe-type low water cut off.
it is called blowing down the boiler…and should be done weekly…however spottiness of the indicates other prooblems entirely…what are the conditions when it does not come on…and how is it controlled, thermostat or heatimer?
yes, I should clarify… to drain until the water runs clear, not totally drain the system. sorry for any confusion.