automatic water feed on steam system

I have an automatic water feed on my steam system. Yesterday I noticed that it had fed so much water that all my pipes and radiators were filled with water. I noticed because it was leaking out of the steam relief valves and some on/off valves on radiators.

I had it fixed and the repairman said there was absolutely nothing wrong with the auto feed unit. He drained the excess water and then showed me how the auto feed was working right.

About a month ago we had a power failure that lasted about 36 hours. It began as a brown out with the power decreased and then coming on and off and then total failure.

Is it possible that when the power is lost the auto feed remains open rather than closed?

Please help solve the mystery that the repairman couldn't answer. thanks

 

I moved your question to this forum in order that more boiler people will see it.

Unless he did a broken union test, it is very difficult to tell if a feed valve is weeping thru. Presuming there is a sight glass on the boiler, I suggest you keep an eye on it at least once a week. I also suggest you install a particle filter in the water line ahead of the feeder. It is quite common for rust or sand particles to get under the seat of the feed valve & cause it not to shut off completely.

 

thanks, that sounds like good advice.

 

I should have told you to put a mark on or next to the sight glass so you know exactly what the water level is doing. If it continues to rise, either the feeder is bad or just needs a good flushing. The only other thing it could be is if you have domestic hot water (either indirect or tankless) on the boiler the domestic could be leaking into the boiler. This would be most common with a tankless coil but is not unheard of with an indirect.