Came home from work to no heat. The pilot light is lit, and all 4 zones are calling for heat, but the boiler isn't firing up. All pipes are cold so it must have been out for awhile. Can anyone help with any suggestions?

 

what is your pressure on your boiler ?

 

Around 20 which is where it always is

 

Out of Gas ? ? ??? ..............................

 

Its a natural gas boiler. Pilot has been on all along, so it is definitely getting gas

 

You may want to check your aquastat. There is a relay in there and I know from experience the one in mine got stuck before and the boiler wouldn't fire.

The fact that the zones are calling for heat is good and there has to be a common denominator so I would start there.

 

also what make/model aquastat?

 

Hmmmm. Not to sound ignorant, but do all boilers have an aquastat? I know the boiler pretty well, and that's a term I've never heard in relation to mine. If so, where do I find it? I also have boiler pics posted on photobucket if it would help anyone to see the setup of my boiler

 

Its a Weil-McClain boiler

 

I think all CI boilers do? It tells the boiler when to fire up and how hot to make the water before shutting off. Also it usually controls the circ pump

Post a link to you photo bucket acct.

 

Boiler pictures by JulietCapulet57 - Photobucket

 

Do you have a multimeter?

Also it looks like the stat may be inside the panel on the boiler?

does that front panel come off?

 

Yes, the front comes off. I have it open now, which is where I can see the pilot light

 

Juliet, you say that all four zones are calling for heat, and I guess this means that the thermostats are calling... but are the zone valves in fact open? There are manual open levers on the valves... when you move them, are they real loose? (indicating that the valves ARE open), or is there some resistance to moving them?

On the side of the boiler is a transformer... there are two screws on the front of it... check that those connections are good... does that transformer feel warm? or is it ice cold?

If you DO have a multimeter, set it to measure 24VAC and check the terminals on that transformer to see if you've got voltage there...

 

do you see where wires come inside? and do you have a meter?

 

Juliet, inside the front of the boiler, there should be a 'box' that has wires coming from the zone valves... they may be labeled T T ... do you see such a box? (may be gray, may say Honeywell)

 

I've gotta split for a while, I think JohnJohn's got ya covered...

speshully if he tells you to manually open the zone valves, and jumper the T T terminals in the aquastat.

 

Yes, NJ, zones are open, and levers loose. I think there is a meter in this house somewhere. I'll run down to basement to check the transformer. In the meantime, I just took a pic of the inside and posted it on photobucket.

 

stepping aside.

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JohnJohn, sounds like you are on the right track... I've gotta head out, so YOU DA MAN!

Real quick though... that looks like an R8285 Honeywell control in there... a transformer and a relay... I THINK... repeat THINK, (please check) that the thermostat is wired to G and R ....

I would also suspect the thermocouple...

be back asap later... good luck!

 

OK! Transformer is warm. Found a meter. Have no idea what I'm doing with it, but when I touched the two ends to the 2 screws on the transformer, the needle shoots up, so I assume that means I have power.

JohnJohn, not sure which box on the inside you mean. Can you see the picture I just posted?

 

Yes def could be the thermocouple.

What you have inside there are the parts that are normally inside the aquastat box. Yours is just seperate components inside.

What do you have the meter set to? should be on AC setting

and test the transformer inside the boiler as well are you getting 24v there too?

 

JohnJohn, also, I can hear a clicking going on in there. Almost like the ignition is trying to light the pilot, but the pilot is lit! That hasn't gone out at all, and the boiler was working fine when I left for work this morning!

 

The transformer on the outside of the boiler is probably power for your zone valves and the fact that they are open means that transformer is good and the fact that you said its warm and moves the meter when you test it.

 

you have a standing pilot so the clicking is probably the relay in there.

It's possible that the contacts in the relay are dirty and not making a good connection so the boiler is not firing

hopefully trooper will suggest a way to bypass or test that relay.


you def have a single point failure there you just have to find it.

 

Ok, the meter has DC V and AC V. I have it on AC V. The numbers to set on are 10, 50, 250 and 1000. I had it on 50. The needle shot up. I'll try it again to see what the reading was.

 

I tried to touch a few things inside with the meter. I didn't get any reading, but there are so many wires in there, that I may not be hitting the right things. I'm so frustrated and its getting colder and colder!! I don't think the boiler could have been off for too long, because it wasn't freezing in the house when I came in, and like I said, its 13 degrees here!

 

it looks like the relay is the thing inside with the red windings on it just above the transformer do you see that?

not sure about that one but (without shorting anything out)

CAUTION!!! you can push down on it and see if the boiler fires up.

dont do this if your not comfortable but if you do, use something insulated.

I would feel better if trooper would confirm this.

 

I've already pushed and tapped on everything in there. One of you mentioned a box that might have TT on it. The white box (up in the top of the picture) has a T1 and T2 on it. I touched those screws with the meter and it shot up also.

 

ok all the power is sounding good.

can you get a better (closer) photo of the transformer and relay on the inside left like dead on?

 

Sure. I'll go do it right now. I did go back down and try pushing on the piece with the red. It doesn't appear to me that anything moves on that. Nothing happened. Sorry its taking me a bit. I'm running 3 floors to get to the boiler!

 

Ok JohnJohn, pics are posted. A couple might be a bit blurry, but I think a couple came out well

 

I'm going to look at pics now... thinking back, if the thermocouple is bad, the pilot wouldn't be lit... but I'm not sure it IS a standing pilot, cuz something I saw in one of the pics looked like an ignition module... be back after I look at pics and some diagrams.

Juliet, what model WM boiler is that again?

Since this is somewhat of an emergency situation, you might not want to wait too long to think about trying to get a tech in ... we may not be able to guide you to a solution! We will try though...

 

I'll go check the model. I'm not sure what a standing pilot is, but there is definitely what I would call an ignition. It lights automatically. You can hear it click, click, click, until the pilot is lit. I'm hearing that same clicking sound, but as I said before, the pilot has remained lit the whole time.

BRB. I'll check the model. And by the way, I have complete faith in you guys. You saved me once before a couple years ago with a different problem!

 

Yep looks like the model as trooper suggested.

That wire bail on the front flips down so you can pull the relay out of the socket as it is replaceable

you must kill the power to the boiler first though

you probably have a switch somewhere near the boiler the shuts off the 110 ac input.

I wouldn't pull this though unless you already had a new one to try.

you also can't rule out the thermocouple too. the thermocouple sits on the flame of the pilot and tells the control it is ok (the pilot is lit) to open the gas valve to fire up the boiler.

If that is bad it wont do it but again unless you have a new one it won't help.

Someone may come on here and tell you a way to jump these out for testing purposes but ai don't feel comfortable doing it.

no offense but I dont know your abilities.

you could call a heating guy out and before he gets there tell him you have already done basic troubleshooting and suspect either a thermocouple or relay and give him the make and model of all parts. these are not parts you are going to be able to get at the big box store.

give him the boiler model and other part numbers to make sure he is equipped to get you going ( you may want to find someone that services Weil Mclain

 

Ok, it is a little hard to read, but it looks like: CGM - 4 P1. Series 8

 

no standing pilot then!

and that is the clicking you are hearing correct?

 

Yes, that is the clicking. It sounds exactly like when it is trying to ignite!

 

Trooper knows way more than I ever could but the white module on top is probably the ignition module that creates the spark to light it up

I think that heavy red wire going down to the bottom is where the spark is created down there not sure if you can look and see the spark down there

it sounds like the gas valve is not opening??

 

just a thought

if its not opening?

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