No hot water and lot of air in the system
#1
10-25-14, 04:08 PM
No hot water and lot of air in the system
A problem that started over a year ago is getting worse. I have to bleed the baseboards in the house every day. And still they only get Luke warm. I can not find a leak anywhere in the pipes. Could it be that my cast iron boiler is leaking? Now I'm not getting any hot water for showering. Is it time to get a new boiler and an indirect water heater? Please help
#2
10-25-14, 04:30 PM
Gibou, can you take some pictures and show us what you've got?
What is the make and model of the boiler?
Take a look at the pressure/temperature gauge on the boiler and tell us what it is reading.
What is the make and model of the boiler?
Take a look at the pressure/temperature gauge on the boiler and tell us what it is reading.
#3
10-25-14, 06:39 PM
Boiler is burnham. Oil burner is Beckett. Th pressure gauge is at 12 psi when the boiler is off. The thermostat is calling for heat but the boiler will not turn on while the recirc is on for the last 10 min. Can not figure out how to post the pic yet.
#4
10-25-14, 07:29 PM
What is the MODEL of the boiler?
Does the pressure on the gauge go up when it's hot? How high?
To post pictures, click the icon that looks like a picture frame with a tree in it.
Does the pressure on the gauge go up when it's hot? How high?
To post pictures, click the icon that looks like a picture frame with a tree in it.
#5
10-30-14, 05:46 AM
Sorry I haven't gotten back to you. Something else came up ....anyway, I contracted a heating guy and he ran into the same problem while trying to bleed the system. 2 baseboards in the house refuse to get hot. He told me the only way to solve the problem is to install purge valves on each baseboard. It is very costly since he has to deal with black iron.
1- Does he really need to install a valve on each baseboard?
2- Does it matter where he puts the valve, inlet or outlet? He told me it does not matter.
3- Do you think that will solve the problem?
He is coming in half an hour and I need to make sure this is money well spent. Thanks for your help
1- Does he really need to install a valve on each baseboard?
2- Does it matter where he puts the valve, inlet or outlet? He told me it does not matter.
3- Do you think that will solve the problem?
He is coming in half an hour and I need to make sure this is money well spent. Thanks for your help
#6
10-30-14, 06:28 AM
How old is the system! If it ran good in the past, then there's absolutely no reason to modify the set up by adding valves, etc. Something has failed, I'm thinking your pressure is to low, and as Trooper asked, does the gauge even work? There are a lot more easy troubleshooting steps that should be done beforee you start changing the piping.
Verify the pressure gauge.
Check the expansion tank
Verify the pressure gauge.
Check the expansion tank
#7
10-30-14, 06:36 AM
The system is about 50 years old. He installed a new pressure gauge and the reading is 20. He explains to me that because of the house settling,there is a high point,and there is no other way to remove the air pocket. He wants to charge about 1300$
#8
10-30-14, 05:40 PM
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Wet side of Washington state.
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Bull manure!
If the house is fifty years old it may very well have been piped with Monoflo fittings. Monoflo systems are often prone to air problems and they CAN be difficult to remove the air. Unless the house was built on highly unstable ground it would not have "settled" enough in fifty years to cause the problems you are experiencing.
We really do need pictures, especially of the connections from the main pipes to the baseboard branches. You can upload to a photo hosting site such as photobucket or imgur and then post the public URL here. Picture DO need to be well-lit and in focus. More pictures are preferable to fewer.
If the house is fifty years old it may very well have been piped with Monoflo fittings. Monoflo systems are often prone to air problems and they CAN be difficult to remove the air. Unless the house was built on highly unstable ground it would not have "settled" enough in fifty years to cause the problems you are experiencing.
We really do need pictures, especially of the connections from the main pipes to the baseboard branches. You can upload to a photo hosting site such as photobucket or imgur and then post the public URL here. Picture DO need to be well-lit and in focus. More pictures are preferable to fewer.
#10
10-31-14, 09:39 AM
He may just have been trying to justify the need to install purge stations in terms he thought a homeowner might understand.
For example, when your auto mechanic tells you that you need a rebuilt differential, is he going to tell you that the thrust washer that sets the pinion depth is worn out, or is he going to just tell you that it's because there's a lot of miles on the car?
$1300 does sound like a lot of money for adding a couple purge stations, but in reality it's probably not THAT far out of line...
For example, when your auto mechanic tells you that you need a rebuilt differential, is he going to tell you that the thrust washer that sets the pinion depth is worn out, or is he going to just tell you that it's because there's a lot of miles on the car?
$1300 does sound like a lot of money for adding a couple purge stations, but in reality it's probably not THAT far out of line...
#14
10-31-14, 11:06 AM
It's good to have the valves, but if everything else is correct, proper piping for automatic air removal, proper control of system pressure, 'pumping away' from the expansion tank connection point (aka 'point of no pressure change') there should be no reason at all that you have continuous problems with air in the system.
