steam boiler

[heatseeker]

Weil McClain boiler 68 series, costumer let fuel oil tank run to empty. went to check it out bled air from fuel line,changed nozzle & filter. Fired it up it worked fine,boss always wants to run several cycles on everything we work on to make sure everything is working right. Evetything tested good,done smoke test,draft test etc.


Let boiler run for awhile while i was at lunch. Came back and the pressure relief valve had released some water onto the floor. had to replace the relief valve , fire the boiler again and got a puff of smoke when it fired.

The rest of the day the thing would fire perfect and then the next time it would smoke again.Fire good , smoke,smoke,fire good. ???

[tinker toys]

Do a pump pressure test. sounds like your dripping fuel out the nozzle during shut down

[heatseeker]

done a pump pressure test,showed 120 psi & a vacuum test, still the darn thing will fire perfect one time and puff smoke the next

[condenseddave]

The relief valve has nothing to do with the smoke problem. That 15 psi relief popping should worry you. What is the steam pressure????????

What was the vacuum cutoff and is this one or two pipe?

Draft? Chimney, power or direct vent?

Pump strainer?

Actual combustion test results?

Cad cell resistance?

Need a lot more info.

[condenseddave]

Weil McLain 68?? Does this have their old QB burner on it?

[heatseeker]

The smoke test showed about a 1,& the draft test showed 6.It is direct vent into a chimney,the steam presure is 18 but keeps trying to rise to around 20 psi,the pressure relief valve is rated 30 psi. The boiler runs fine but you still get that puff of smoke about every third fire up.

[heatseeker]

did not test the cad cell,but did't thing it would be the problem since this thing fires perfect sometimes and it runs good even after it fires with the smoke puff, Dave

[nutshell]

Draft should be closer to -.03. Also 18PSI in a steam boiler...that is a bomb waiting to go off. Steam should run at half a pound.

[condenseddave]

Originally posted by heatseeker
The smoke test showed about a 1,& the draft test showed 6.It is direct vent into a chimney,the steam presure is 18 but keeps trying to rise to around 20 psi,the pressure relief valve is rated 30 psi. The boiler runs fine but you still get that puff of smoke about every third fire up.

First off, if this is a residential steam boiler, in a typical home, that pressure is dangerous. The relief on a residential steam boiler shouldn't exceed 15 psi. That 30 psi relief has turned that boiler into a bomb.

The steam pressure should be no higher than 2 psi.

The presssures you list are typical of hot water boiler pressures, and would be normal for hot water.
Are you CERTAIN that this is steam????

[condenseddave]

If that is steam, and it's residential, either call your boss or the homeowner, and get them to turn that off NOW.

Seriously. That needs IMMEDIATE attention.

Smoke is the least of your worries right now.....

[condenseddave]

Heatseeker, you out there??????????/

[heatseeker]

I'm back Dave need help, the draft pressure i quoted may have been wrong the company i work for has very primitive equipment, so that draft reading may have been wrong, this draft gauge is old and doesn't work right some time, Stupid question. When the needle drops to the right is this a negative or a positive reading?

[heatseeker]

The burner on this thing is called Blue Angel,this thing was installed in 1988

[condenseddave]

Is it a Bacharach MZF or a Dwyer magnehelic?

And, are you SURE that this is a steamer????

[condenseddave]

Originally posted by heatseeker
The burner on this thing is called Blue Angel,this thing was installed in 1988

That's a Wayne. They set up differently than a Beckett.

There is a "rebuild" kit for that burner still available.

It's a piece of shit.

[condenseddave]

Teh puffing might be delayed ignition, but I am SERIOUSLY worried that that boiler might really be steam. If it is, people's lives are in danger.

[condenseddave]

Not trying to be a dick, but I an truly deeply worried about that boiler running at that pressure.

Steam boilers are only rated at 15 psi. IF you pop a hole in that thing, and it drains down, dry fires, and then gets cold water dumped on it, the building will blow up and people will die. No kidding. Seriously.

If you're not SURE that if it's steam or not, say so, but make sure that this thing gets checked to be certain, and soon.

I'm not trying to scare you, just trying to impress upon you the gravity of the situation.

[hydronicsman]

Step away from that boiler and get professional help. If you don't even know what you are looking at, leave it alone.

This is really scary, or it is a troll.

[tinman]

Beckett offers classes in Elryia,Ohio. Please check into this,it's really worth it.

[Noel Murdough]

What is the model number on the boiler?

What is the model number of the limit control?

What is the model number of the low water cut off?

Noel