Boiler Turning Off!
Dear Brownstoners, Starting January our boiler keeps on turning off randomly. Our plumber who installed the boiler said that we need to hit the duct air sensor button behind the boiler (little metal finger tip sized knob with two wires coming of out it) and it worked. The problem is that the boiler keeps on…
Dear Brownstoners,
Starting January our boiler keeps on turning off randomly. Our plumber who installed the boiler said that we need to hit the duct air sensor button behind the boiler (little metal finger tip sized knob with two wires coming of out it) and it worked. The problem is that the boiler keeps on shutting off daily and we don’t know what the problem could be. Our thoughts are: chimney is blocked, sensor is broken or there isn’t enough air flow through the basement.
Any experience with this issue would be greatly appreciated. What is odd as this problem just started and we haven’t changed anything since the boiler was installed Sept 08.
Thanks for any advice in advance,
Faye
Forget about your carbon monoxide detector. Most sold for residential use need to sense a very high concentration of CO steadily for a long time to activate.
The very first alarms were to be installed in the boiler room and were sounding so often due to short-term, low concentration exposure, the fire departments got them to be made less sensitive and recommended they be moved to sleeping areas.
Up until very recently, the most popular brands required 400 parts per million (ppm) for 30 straight minutes before they sounded an alarm. You’d have to be on the verge of being overcome before you were warned of danger.
These days they’re a little better, but it turns out that repeated low-concentration, short-term exposure is being linked to everything from recurring headaches and flu symptoms to Alzheimer’s and more.
I’ve read your post several times and am concerned the title is “Boiler Turning Off!” when in reality, that’s the good news.
The title should be the bigger issue: “My Carbon Monoxide Cut-Off Switch Is Doing It’s Job!”
Call Big Apple Chimney, A&A or ask your neighbors for a referral right away, please.
Master Plumber, I should have added that we have a carbon monoxide smoke alarm in our basement right by the boiler duct sensor and it isn’t going off at all. Could the issue only be with the chimney or could the sensor be broken? I just want to approach this from the most economical angle to troubleshoot as times are tough. Thanks Faye
Don’t play around with this. You’ve got a carbon monoxide venting problem and no one is helping you by showing you how to reset the cut off sensor that may be saving the building occupants from being made seriously sick or worse.
Get a chimney company to see what’s going on in there right away.
It sounds like your sensor (the little thing attached to the button, under the exhaust pipe) is sensing or thinks it is sensing carbon monoxide build up? Read the good answers to my similar question here http://bstoner.wpengine.com/forum/archives/2009/12/raise_my_chimne.php#comments. In my case I knew that a recent change was that a building next door to me had gone up. If nothing has changed in your case, some of the suggestions in the comments (the sensor could be damaged or damp, there could be something blocking your chimney, etc.) might help. Good luck!
P.S. In my case the developer next door is putting in a chimney extension with a fan, so after this week we will hopefully have reliable heat.