Cracked/Leaking Tridicator?

[robinogi]

I have a Kerr oil furnace with a Riello burner (sorry, don't know which models they are). Last winter I had glycol put in my system since we have some cold nights up here. Last week I noticed that the tridicator (???, the gauge that shows the temperature and pressure) on the front of the furnace is cracked at the bottom, and the blue glycol is slowly leaking from it. It's forming a little puddle on my basement floor, and I'm wondering what might be going on. Is this an expensive fix? Is it a sign of bigger problems? Any ideas? I'd really appreciate any help you could offer. I'm a pretty handy guy, so I'd be comfortable replacing it myself if it's not a huge job.

Robin

[beenthere]

Sorry, this is not a DIY site. So we are not allowed to give out DIY advise.

Please read Site Rules (http://hvac-talk.com/vbb/showthread.php?threadid=1241) Thank you.


How much glycol did you put in. What kind? Wrong kind and you did more harm then good.

A good contractor can change that without loosing any glycol.

[robinogi]

I had my contractor (his HVAC guy) install it when my basement was finished last year... I don't know what kind he put in, or how much. He calculated it based on square footage of the home. I trust that he knew what he was talking about. Is it possible that there's too much pressure in the system? The gauge is reading 20 PSI right now.

P.S. My apologies for implying the DIY advice. I'm just wondering if this is something I'm going to have to re-mortgage the house to fix!

[beenthere]

I generally determine how much glycol by how much water volume the system holds.
And by how cold the area gets. And weather I need freeze protection, or just burst protection.

If the boiler is installed right(other then maybe too much glycol). Won't be hard to change the gage.

Find out what type he used.

[robinogi]

I seem to remember that it was propylene glycol... It's blue in color, if that helps (I don't think it does). The boiler is 7 years old and there was no history of leakage when I bought the house 1.5 years ago. Is it possible that this is because of the increased heating demand in the winter time? It was fine last winter, and it was fine over the summer. I was told I might have to top up the glycol in 2 years.

[beenthere]

Could just be coincidence.

Sometime those gages do break/leak.

[robinogi]

Sounds good. I'll give him a call early in the week. Thanks for your help.