I searched this forum for my particular problem but have not found an exact answer. Hoping you guys can help me find a quick solution to get heat back in my house!
Problem: My steam furnace is only working for 15 minutes after power cycling it. It then shuts down and does not come back on regardless of CFH. If I cut power and turn back on, it kicks in again. There were no error messages but there was a light on my LWCO. Intermittent Level Test (ILT). This is that annoying "feature" on CycleGaurd units that turns off the burner every 15 minutes for 90 seconds to ensure water level is accurate. The ILT on my unit starts at 15 minutes but never ends (the light remains on). This means the burner never kicks on again! There is some moisture damage in the unit so I assume this is the root cause of the issue. It looks like some steam was leaking through the probe.
I will be getting a new one installed but it is currently 20 degrees in NH and I need heat! Is there anything I can do to temporarily turn off this ILT "feature" that is preventing me from heating my house?
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CycleGuard preventing heating cycle
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Boiler percolating
Customer has a Small Slant Fin cast iron boiler attached to an old gravity radiator system with large pipe diameters, two pipe reverse return. Boiler is twenty years old and started percolating. In my experience this only happens when a system has a leak and feeding make up water. No leaks here. What cleaning solution to use to mitigate the deposits? I'm thinking of flushing like a tankless water heater with something a bit stronger than vinegar. Thoughts? Percolation sound telgraphs through the piping and is loud at first floor radiators. Boiler temp is below 180.
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Prestige boiler w/propane fuel
Error message 3 displayed after 5 ignition failures, reset system, no propane, system should be turned completely off until propane tank is filled & system is ready to be reset?
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Switching from oil fired hydronic heat with cast iron radiators to gas fired forced air w/AC
Hi Everyone,
This is my first post here. I live in a 150-year-old house with about 2800 square feet (less actual living space). My wife and I have been evaluating our heating costs and at the same time are looking to install central AC. We are leaning towards moving to a gas-fired (natural gas is already in the house) furnace and using a forced air system with both natural gas in the attic and basement (no closets to send duct work down/up). This is obviously a big investment so I am looking to get opinions. I hear how this will save us money in heating costs, but the oil people always talk about the warm of cast iron radiators. Our current boiler was made in 2002 and recently we were told we needed to put 1400 into it for a new larger expansion tank and new coil (on demand hot water built into boiler). Looking for insights.
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Should I switch to gas(Mod/Con) or replace burner from oil to gas
Hi,
I am running an oil system with steam and I am being told to switch to gas. The boiler seems relatively new got with house in 2010, house was made in 1930.
I have attached a few pictures of boiler and also the piping which a plumber said he thought was piped incorrectly. I notice the radiators to the left side seems to get way more heat than radiators on the right also, based on the loops in the pipes from my layman eyes piping seems inefficient. I have been playing around with gorman valves to try and balance the system(Thanks to this forum)
I have no intention of selling this house anytime soon.
I have gas in property for water heater and stove.
(I am located in Bronx, NY)
I don't think my oil bill is super high compared to other folks I know but my buddies using gas claim their bills are way lower.
So my question is should I switch burner to gas or replace the entire unit and do over pipes etc?. I see lots of mention about mod con.
TIA
Robert
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Honeywell V155 Series 10 upgrade/replacement
I'm working on an old coal to NG conversion gravity furnace with the v155 motorized control valve. I read in another thread that the valve can be replaced with a Honeywell VR8300. Is this an acceptable retrofit? What all does this modification entail? What other parts are needed? Is there an adapter to go from the new combo valve to the existing 2-ear flange going into the burner port? I have in hand a new VR8300A, new pilot tubing kit and new 36" 30mv thermocouple.
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Sight glass full won’t go down
My main concern is that my sight glass water level will not go down. It’s been a little touchy in the past with fluctuations but now I can’t get it to go down. I added a little bit of water to the system over a week ago because it was close to the bottom. I did not fill it to the top but now that its filled up it won’t go down. If I take enough out I can start to see it fluctuate at the very top but then it fills back up. I cleaned the glass and the opening below it. Filled right back up. Also, I get loud radiator knocks that I didn’t used to get.
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New Gas Boiler Very Loud Clicks and Thumps During Warmup
A brand new boiler is making very loud clicks and thumps. I don't know if the old one made those thumps, because the old one was dead when I bought the house earlier this year. The sound is definitely coming from inside the boiler. It sounds like it's happening right behind the pressuretrol. The noises start 5-15 minutes after the boiler turns on, lasts for 3-5 minutes, and stops when the first rad finally starts getting heat. It doesn't happen all the time. It seems to happen when it's colder in the basement. It happens almost every night even it didn't thump during the day. Lastly, the system almost always short cycles once and sometimes does twice, but the thumping rarely happens on the second or third warmups.
I recorded a 7/10 intensity banging from what I've heard so far. I only got the last 45 seconds of it, because I have to run downstairs and start recording once I start hearing it. Youtube link: https://youtu.be/HimiE3tL3pc
Things I've tried that did not have a lasting impact: 1) Changed out the two old Hoffman 40 main vents with Gorton no. 1s. One of those Hoffmans was so dirty it was completely shut and the other was letting out a ton of steam. 2) Emptied the water. 3) Lowered the psi down from 2.5 to 1.8 and increased the differential from 0 to 0.7. 4) Adjusted the radiator positions to reduce the water hammer in the pipes leading to the rads.
The one thing I have yet to try is to change out the air vents on all the radiators. Six of them Hoffman 500s and the biggest one has a Dole 1933. I just ordered 7 adjustable varivalves. If it doesn't stop the thumping, hopefully they will at least provide better heating balance and maybe even quicker time to first steam.
The noise is loud enough to wake me up every night. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
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can zone valve controller turn on my IBC G3 boiler? (improper install i think)
I have an IBC G3 20-160. I have 8 heating zones in the house plus DHW.
the installer ran 2 of my zones to the boiler directly (basement and mudroom) and the rest are run off a Taco 506 zone controller.
It seems that unless dhw, mudroom or basement are asking for heat, the boiler will not turn on. I see the pumps working and the Taco lights up various zones as they ask for heat but the IBC just sits still.
I don't understand the various terminology on the settings screen (set point, zone of, etc) so it's a bit difficult to diagnose but I am very technically savvy otherwise so wiring, voltmeters, etc are not scary.
In my common sense analysis, it seem that the taco has a wire running back to the boiler that sends a signal (i measured 26vac on it when all zones of taco are off and 0vac when any zone is on).. that signal should be registered by the boiler and turn itself on.
alternately, since I also have a boiler buddy, it would make sense for the inlet/outlet temperature of the boiler itself to cause it to switch on.. none of that is happening.. i saw boiler temps of <100 and it still won't turn on unless one of the 3 zones mentioned above are asking for it.
please help
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Natural Gas line vent, Shutoffs...
Or gas meter is in our basement, and from the regulator there's a 20+ ft long 3/4" line to our outside wall exiting about 40 inches above the ground. Where it exits the house at the approximate height on the corresponding inside wall is a small grill, (3" x5") which is apparently open to the air since in this windy weather today I can feel a little breeze blowing. GIven that it's also near the plumbing stack vent, I'm thinking perhaps this is not a vent for the gas line but for the plumbing stack(?). GIven the investment we've put into insulation, I would like to cover this grill but not before I get some advice. Is the indoor grill for internal pressure relief during a gas leak?
Also in looking to attach a wrench or vice grip to either the meter or regulator's emergency shutoff valve, the regulator's shutoff looks easier--easier to reach and on a horizontal plane. I would assume either shutoff would do the job. Any preferences?
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Furnace will not turn on
I was replacing thermostat. So I turned main power off. Could not get it to work so wired old one back. I turned on main circuit breaker and furnace will not turn on. I have a luxaire furnace. I tried to look for reset on furnace but not luck. Any tips to try something?
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Navien CH-240 knocking/banging noise
Hey All,
As if I didn't have enough trouble with my system, today I was powering up after a power outage and the boiler starts making a banging noise the likes of which I've never heard. I am neither an HVAC pro nor a plumber, but I know machinery and this was NOT a normal noise. I literally thought an animal had crawled in there and was trying to get out. It was a loud knocking/banging which was shaking the whole unit. The strangest part was that it persisted after I powered it down. It seemed to be coming from the top of the heat exchanger (upper right) near what looked to be some sort of solenoid. Not sure if this was stuck or if it was trying to push the mother of all air bubbles through but long story it was not working, first firing off error 16 (overheating heat exchanger), 01 (water boiling in HE), and 46 (abnormal thermistor). I tried cleaning all filters (both the water filters were clean) as well as the air filter (which was not as clean). Eventually after several on/off cycles it began working normally again.
I will say for sure that I have had the DHW inlet turned off for a few days (the house is still under some renovation)
Typically the unit will do the "singing pipes" routine which from what I understand is just from expansion. This was definitely not that. It also did not sound like trapped air (I hope!) but I guess it's possible. It went through an air purge cycle after I pulled out the supply filter. As I mentioned it works now, just wanted to see if anyone has seen this and whether there will be anything to watch out for in the future.
Thanks for any info!
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Williamson-Thermoflo GWA 105 problems
Greetings,
I have done a search here and done as much reading as I can, and am a bit stuck/unsure how to proceed.
About 5 years ago, a Williamson-Thermoflo GWA 105 boiler was installed for this 1940s vintage 1000 square foot house with hot water baseboard. The house is poorly insulated. Prior to conversion to gas, the old oil boiler was able to heat the house. The unit was heating contractor installed.
The "new" gas system performs ok when the outside temperatures aren't too bad, i.e. above freezing. But when it is sub freezing, as it is now in the Northeast, the heating system cannot keep up, to the point that we've got cold fingers and are dressed for the outdoors, indoors. The boiler has "functioned" this way on the coldest of days more or less since installation, and I think it has to do with the boiler itself. Original heating contractor's service department failed at figuring the problem out long ago.
The boiler setpoint is at 180 deg F. The Economy knob is set to min, because we have trouble keeping heat in the house.
When the outside temperature isn't too cold, the boiler fires up and heats water to 180 deg F, cuts out and lets the circulator pump the hot water until supply temperature drops to 140 deg F, then fires up again. That is, it seems to operate as it should when the heat load is minimal.
When the outside temperature is cold, as it is now (18 deg F now, single digits in the last couple of days), the boiler fires up at seemingly random water temperatures, and maybe heats to the setpoint but more likely doesn't. It will frequently get stuck in something I call limp mode, running between 120 to 140 F. Often it short cycles, firing up but then shutting off immediately or close to it. Thats not enough to get this place out of the lower 50s. I have tried setting the setpoint lower, setting it higher, but it doesn't seem to help.
Tstat is an old Honeywell set high enough that the call for heat LED on the boiler is always lit, and the circulator always pumping.
If I baby-sit the boiler during limp mode, I can crank the setpoint one way or another to cause the limit circuit to be met, and get the boiler to start, though it might or might not get to the setpoint without repeating this a few times. Sometimes it will seem to work for a while, (operating above 140 deg F is what I mean by work), but if you stop watching it, it misbehaves.
Last year or so we had a heating tech from a different company than the original installer come out. He was kind of stumped and threw a temp sensor at it, though I don't think the temp sensor resistance values were out of range per the manual and pointed that out to him. Of course after he replaced it anyway as a first step; we had mild weather so it seemed to be working fine, until the next cold snap, when it didn't.
Now we've got prolonged cold weather and the boiler's having trouble keeping it 50 degrees in here. I have checked the resistance values of the temp sensor and they jive with what the manual says.
There are no flashing LEDs on the controller.
For brief troubleshooting purposes only, I also did the following for long enough to eliminate these components as the cause of the problem:
* jumpered the Spill switch. Problem continued, so re-established as-found connection to spill switch to preserve function of this important safety device. I has guessed this part might be the cause, as the chimney doesn't have a cap.
* jumpered the rollout switch. Problem continued, so re-established as-found connection to rollout switch to preserve function of this important safety device.
So, according to the trouble shooting flowchart of the manual, the next thing to replace is the controller, p/n 381-330-014WT, the Model # 1135-601 controller. So far, the only quasi-local place I have found to have it, won't sell it to me because I am a private party and not a mechanical contractor. But it's cold, and the place I think will have it and sell it to me has a constant busy signal, probably because they are wicked busy. And most searches online list it as "discontinued", though I think I may have found one place that has it.
Does anyone have some guidance for me? I'm just about ready to take a gamble on buying the controller online, but I thought I would look for a little wisdom before I do something like this. Money's tight, but we are cold.
Thanks in advance, and sorry for the long-winded post but I am trying to relay as much info as I can.
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Weil McLain gv90 flame led flashing
3 year old install, power led (green) comes on tstat and pressure led come on after just fine but then flame led starts flashing
Changed the inginter $55 didn't work
Tried to adjust gas flow didn't work
Changed the main board didn't work
Changed the gas valve now works like a charm
With the manual gas valve off, the gas selenoid was working, tested by taking it apart and cleaning filter screen and checking if it opens when ignighter gets hot, but it would not fire the boiler, only after changing the whole gas valve esmebly (selenoid and housing) it worked
Is it possible low gas pressure from the street in extremely cold weather 3f ruined the valve?
Changed the inginter $55 didn't work
Tried to adjust gas flow didn't work
Changed the main board didn't work
Changed the gas valve now works like a charm
With the manual gas valve off, the gas selenoid was working, tested by taking it apart and cleaning filter screen and checking if it opens when ignighter gets hot, but it would not fire the boiler, only after changing the whole gas valve esmebly (selenoid and housing) it worked
Is it possible low gas pressure from the street in extremely cold weather 3f ruined the valve?
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Would you install Non condensing or condensing gas boilers for tenants?
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Weil McLain Won’t Ignite
I have a 10ish year ole Weil McLain boiler - model 1107-1 that is giving me issues with igniting. The startup process seems to go well and a spark is initiated, but the boiler fails to light. I’ve included a photo of the unit. The top “flame” light on the control board flashes when attempting to ignite. I have cleaned the boiler and checked/cleaned the igniter rod, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. Any addition insight would be appreciated!
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Can this power burner be downfired to save fuel?
This power burner is hooked up to a wet-base steam boiler that has an EDR of around 500. EDR of all the radiation is around 187.
I have no idea what the burner is set to and I have no idea if it can be set to a BTU rating similar to what the installed edr needs are.
I'm also guessing that it would be good to have someone come out to do a combustion analysis just to make sure the damn thing is burning as efficiently as possible.
Just trying to hold off for another year or two when I can change the boiler.
But the fuel prices will choke a horse.
Any thoughts?
I have no idea what the burner is set to and I have no idea if it can be set to a BTU rating similar to what the installed edr needs are.
I'm also guessing that it would be good to have someone come out to do a combustion analysis just to make sure the damn thing is burning as efficiently as possible.
Just trying to hold off for another year or two when I can change the boiler.
But the fuel prices will choke a horse.
Any thoughts?
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New Gas Account Moratorium in Westchester County
https://www.coned.com/en/save-money/convert-to-natural-gas/westchester-natural-gas-moratorium/about-the-westchester-natural-gas-moratorium
Apparently infrastructure issues are pushing Con Ed to stop accepting new gas customers after March 15 in certain parts of Westchester County, NY. Certainly might affect heating installers.
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Weil-Mclain Ultra Series 3
It's a model 105 in this case, but don't think it matters. Just a message in short - don't ignore annual maintenance/cleaning forever :-) These boilers are great. I've had a 105 for 7 years now with no issues. One thing I did? No maintenance. Problem is that most of the contractors around me get all scared about these high efficiency boilers. Then have to over charge for parts and service because they come to the house, are blind in terms of knowledge and just call the WM hot line as they work on it, then order parts, etc. I've worked on domestic oil burners (full training) as well as early version domestic gas "jet boilers" - factory trained and certified on Lennox "Hydro Pulse" way back then - remember then?
That said, my WM Ultra S3 105 started acting "unfriendly" during this last coldish spell in SE PA. Through the site glass I could see spark then ignition/flame then it would shut down after about 30 seconds or so. Repeat.
So no lockout, no ignition failure or other diagnostic errors. Running diagnostic inputs from front panel, watched flame signal during ignition/fire. Erratic and low based on WM S3 Manual page 96 flame signal chart figure 106. I figured burner, ignitor, heat exchanger should need cleaning but wanted to just get things burning. while waiting for parts.
Watching diagnostic - saw that flame signal was well below the 20 degree differential for shutdown value. AKA saw around 114 max/135 signal. There were times when it was marginal enough to hold fire and keep running. Only to have it fail again later.
I had all the parts ordered to do a full cleaning/annual at this point, but just needed to get things running.
Pulled the ignitor/sensor. Two phillips screws. Pull out slowly to not disturb the gasket as best as possible. Took some 240 wet paper and cleaned off the white oxidation from the electrodes and folded it to push between the air gap and brighten the actual arc points. Voila - fired up and running after assembly.
I'll do the heat exchanger cleaning, ignitor replacement, burner cleaning once I get the parts and the cleaning tool. As I should have done previous. But just saying - sometimes you can find the specific culprit through reading and understanding the unit and how to get into diagnostic mode. I'll be less "recalcitrant" now and set the maintenance reminders on the front panel to tell me to get my ass in gear to do routine maintenance following the manuals.
My challenge is that I don't want a contractor that is not familiar with these units wasting $$$ while they are calling hot line, then ordering parts and charging $100 for the vist and 300% over parts cost to recover the hours spent. One fellow I called who is a neighbor in the business basically told me that he would be totally unfamiliar with the "new tech" and would not have parts on board to fix anything.
If you do get a service contract on these make sure first that the contractor has full knowledge and understanding how to troubleshoot and has parts stock on hand for these. Otherwise performance will vary.
So in short "RFM" and you can get yourself out of trouble in the short run if you have some knowledge and and initiative to understand "how things work". Always use care and shut down the system before doing any work. Now how to do that or don't touch it.
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80%furnace only two burners lighting
Ran into an Air Temp gas furnace, 80%, about five years old. Sequence of operation is normal until the burners ignite. Only two of the five ignite, the other three just spill gas (customer called gas cumpany and they shut it down). Didn’t have a manometer but guessing gas pressure inlet or outlet might be issue? Or what else??
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