Furious beast, huge knocking, gargling! American Standard 1961 1bj1 boiler


  #1  
Old 12-19-14, 04:35 PM
W
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: United States
Posts: 1
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Furious beast, huge knocking, gargling! American Standard 1961 1bj1 boiler

Hello,

(My long post just disappeared, courtesy of a cheap log-in prompt while I was already logged-in... I'll be more defensive against the malfunctioning (copy the text before submitting). But this is very 1995, a rarety nowadays.. Additionally, after submitting, you're being noticed "The thread is more than 373 days old, you can't reply".. Couldn't tell that BEFORE user took the pain to compose a detailed post?? This site needs serious improvement)

So I too have got the same American Standard 1bj1 (Update: than the thread I was trying to answer to..) from presumably 1961, the year of the house.

This loud knocking beast was reaching 30 PSI until last week (the release valve was properly functioning). Then a professional AC/furnaces personal was able to bring it back to 12 cold and 18 PSI after running. He:
- purged the big tank above the furnace. Water so black it looks like unrefined oil..
- purged the "boiler" itself? (not sure - was more dicey to do, had to wait, before allowing cold water back again, to "not crack the boiler" by sudden contact, I think to have understood)
- closed an air valve.
- cleaned the burners

The furnace was knocking hard before and still does unfortunately. Now this: after a relatively short time, it starts producing disorderly, convulsing, huge gargling, starting at about the time water reaches 220. It 'seems' that all the water that would have raised in this big tank above, is at some point "too heavy" and is cascading down in great commotion in the lower pipes. Then it's calmer, quieter, until it reaches this huge gargling cycle again. Eventually the house is 63 (!) and the thermostat shuts furnace down. A few more knocking and it's silent.
This gargling behavior existed before, but only after a long running time, like raising from 60 to 72F (trying anyway!)

Water in the pipe reaches the house floors well it seems. But why is it boiling like that after just a few minutes of running..

Thanks in advance! Hopefully the thread starter, a WI neighbor, and experts will still be around just one year later..
 

Last edited by Waukesha_diyer; 12-19-14 at 04:52 PM.
  #2  
Old 12-19-14, 04:57 PM
G
Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: USA
Posts: 2,604
Received 28 Upvotes on 27 Posts
Please post some good photos of your near-boiler area - wide angle, for now. Is this a hot-water boiler or steam?

The only thing I know for sure is that you've been had. Don't call that clown back again. If the temp reached 212 deg, the pressure must have been----?

You refer to the "thread starter." Who he, if not you? I'm confused.
 
  #3  
Old 12-19-14, 04:59 PM
NJT's Avatar
NJT
NJT is offline
Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 19,710
Upvotes: 0
Received 8 Upvotes on 6 Posts
after a relatively short time, it starts producing disorderly, convulsing, huge gargling, starting at about the time water reaches 220.
You need to find a repair person that knows what he is doing it sounds to me...

That boiler should most definitely NOT be reaching 220F !

I'm sure you are boiling the water... contrary to it's name, a 'boiler' should NEVER 'boil' the water!

Find the high limit temperature control on your boiler and tell us what temperature that control is set to.

If it is set above 180F then TURN IT DOWN to 180F!
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: