New steam boiler reeks!!!

Ugh. Please help! We just had a new Williamson gas steam furnace installed on Sat. It smells SO BAD everytime the heat comes on! Like oil exhaust. I am nauseated every time I smell it. Searching the internet tells me that it is the oil from the new parts but it still smells so bad after almost 4 days. I am tempted to just turn it off and it cost a fortune to install. Any ideas how to remedy this?? Thanks in advance!

superfund445

in Boiler Repair 12 years and 3 months ago

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superfund445 | 12 years and 3 months ago

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Ha. That’s hilarious! I may have to pour some Chanel #5 in there if the smell doesn’t go away! Thanks so much for your time and help.

ellenlourie | 12 years and 3 months ago

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Never too late. Dan Hologan once told the story about building superintendant who was upset with lack of christmas tips from tenants, his revenge was pouring pee into the boiler. it was smelling like third world public toilet troughout building day and night. You can pour chanel #5 into boiler, and you will have whole house smell like chanel #5\. on the serious note , go to plumbing supply, i m sure they can sell you something. Prblem is that besides smell you have poor steam quality, and contaminated system. It will hit you into your pocket book.
what ever is in the piping system can probably cleaned out with chemicals. skimming will remove oil which was not carried away into the system with steam. you also need chemical cleaning of the system to remove all garbage accumulated over decades. for this you will need shut off valves on steam line to the house and shutoff valve on return line before boiler and fill size drain valve as well on return line before this shut off valve. I do not think ir was installed as well. usually all garbage enters new boiler within few hours and boiler looses its efficiency right away.

superfund445 | 12 years and 3 months ago

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Thanks to both of you for your replies. Do you know the name of the poor man’s skimmer? maybe we will try that.  Grennady, since the boiler has been running for 4 days, do you think it’s too late to skim it? Is the oil already in the building’s piping? If it is already in piping, any idea how to remove it? Thanks!!!

SewardWasRight | 12 years and 3 months ago

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i purchased the poor man’s skimmer – it was a product that plumbing houses sell – you pour it into the skim port and run the boiler. no need to drain anything. there is also another chemical that is sold that requires draining the boiler after running the system with it for a while. I doubt that a boiler installer would skim the boiler after installing it as a part of the installation charge, because it can, as gennady notes, take all day. if they do do this as a part of the installation, I am sure a hefty fee is included in your final bill! 🙂

ellenlourie | 12 years and 3 months ago

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yo have a smell because of oil insude of the boiler. this oil is used when cast iron is mashined. When boiler is turned on 1st time skimming must be done. skimming is a process of removing this oil before it enters the building piping and stays there. it is in a boiler manual. every time boiler starts air is exhausted trough air vents with this oil smell if skimming is not done. sometimes skimming takes few hours and even a day . it adds up to cost of installation and few installers do it. you probably too sensitive. to this smell.

superfund445 | 12 years and 3 months ago

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Thank you so much for answering. I did talk to him and he said the smell is “normal” and will burn off. It is wretched though and I have not been using the heat. Is skimming the boiler something the installer would normally do and will it help the problem?

ellenlourie | 12 years and 3 months ago

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did you talked to the people who installed it? did they skimmed boiler at the first start up? you have to have to bring in original installer and have him cure the problem.