Seasonal Boiler Care Question
A recent forum post about turning off thermostats made me wonder whether we should be turning off our boiler too. MasterPlvmber suggested a separate thread. We’ve got a Honeywell programmable thermostat, a Burnham Independence series boiler installed in the late ’90s and steam heat to the building. If we turn thermostat off and leave boiler…
A recent forum post about turning off thermostats made me wonder whether we should be turning off our boiler too. MasterPlvmber suggested a separate thread. We’ve got a Honeywell programmable thermostat, a Burnham Independence series boiler installed in the late ’90s and steam heat to the building. If we turn thermostat off and leave boiler on (which is what we’ve always done) should we continue to bleed boiler? How much energy are we wasting by continuing to let it run? We’ve always done maintenance just before the start of new heating season. If we shut boiler down, any maintenance that should be done prior? Thanks MP and all others!
Thank you, MP! It does make sense, and I really appreciate the time and trouble you took to write such a thorough reply.
This is a difficult question to answer in a way that makes sense to a lot of people so here is my incredibly long-winded attempt
At the beginning of the season, a boiler will benefit greatly from a thorough cleaning of the burner tubes and sediment flushing, at least. Simply burning off what settles in that boiler creates soot inside the flue passages therefore it is a much better practice to clean it all out before turning it all on.
But there are many safety and efficiency devices on modern boilers that protect us and keep us from wasting fuel. They have two things in common: they are all important and they all stop working, eventually:
• A basic test of the carbon monoxide spill switch, a control which should be present on all residential boilers made in the last 15 years or so, is an absolutely necessity. It is the first line of defense against a failed chimney and shuts the boiler off if the poisonous gas is unable to flow safely out of the home through the venting system.
• It is NYC Dept of Buildings Code now that all boilers need some protection against the fire hazard created in the event they fire up if they’ve run out of water. That device is called a low-water cut off (LWCO). There are two basic types of LWCOs: the mechanical float type and the electronic probe type. The float type is found almost exclusively on steam boilers and it needs bi-weekly maintenance by flushing it down and letting out the cruddy water that develops inside of it. That should be an in-house task.
The probe type works on either steam or hot water boilers and requires an annual removal from its tapping, cleaning and inspection, then returning to service.
• Setting proper operating pressure in a hot water or steam boiler could be the difference between wasting hundreds of dollars in fuel or uneven heating throughout the home and an efficient well-balanced effect.
There are several other general maintenance procedures that are very important but those are key.
At the end of the heating season, in most cases, turning the thermostat all the way down to 60 or 50 should be enough to keep the boiler idle until fall returns. Or if your thermostat has an OFF setting, that would be even better.
Some larger control systems, like the Tekmar or less-advanced HeatTimer devices operate the boiler using outdoor sensors that do most of the thinking for you.
Most boilers don’t need much by way of post-season shut down, but some do. If your boiler makes your domestic hot water, you may consider it a boiler with two heating seasons: first is the Space Heating and Hot Water Heating season, second is the much less aggressive domestic Hot Water Heating only season.
Changing over from one to the other is often done with basic controls that may require some seasonal tweaking to get you through the shoulder seasons. The advanced control systems tend to take care of themselves.
There is a school of thought that believes a steam boiler should be over-filled and then fired to boil out excess oxygen at the end of the heating season, but that’s not an in-house procedure and it effectively at least doubles your maintenance budget if all you do, historically, is call for an annual start up service. If you’ve got heating technicians coming for multiple trips annually anyway, then you might consider having that done as it eliminates the corrosion that builds up internally where boiler water meets air.
The reality is that although identical boilers are sold by the thousands each year, no two heating systems are the same. Monitoring job conditions and rate of wear on common parts is key to keeping things running efficiently and reliably.
Once in a while, every homeowner should be taking a trip down to the boiler room just to take a look around. See that rust spot forming? See that dried water stain on the floor? Labels peeling off? That discoloration may be due to excessive temperature….etc.
If it looks like something’s wrong, it could probably use some attention.
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I hope that makes sense.
Master Plvmber
http://www.GatewayPlumbing.com