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Denver, CO
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Chicago, IL
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 Automatic Water Feed
[#2] Posted: 04/25/2012 - 05:57:38 AM |  |  |
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Are you sure that's not the condensate/suction pump? Give us some pictures of the whole setup.
Its gotta be the condensate pump. It's set up like a condensate pump.
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Kurt in Chicago
"If I smell it, it goes in the report".............Phillip Smith...2012
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Denver, CO
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Automatic Water Feed
[#3] Posted: 04/25/2012 - 06:51:57 AM | | |
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Lots of owner's junk in the way that I didn't feel like moving. Looking again at the photos I see a pipe I might not have been aware of, coming down from above and turning to the right behind the gray tank.
So if it's a condensate return, then I was hearing air being pushed out of the system as steam moved in? System was cold prior to inspection. Is it possible to have some condensate returning directly to the boiler and some returning to the condensate pump?
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Garet Denise
www.Cornerstone-Inspection.com
Our knowledge of wisdom exceeds our wise use of knowledge. |
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Chicago, IL
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Automatic Water Feed
[#4] Posted: 04/25/2012 - 07:38:01 AM | | |
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It's a condensate pump. Yes, some drains back with gravity and the pump is there to make sure it keeps draining, more or less. Did you check all the traps @ the radiators? Very common to have screwed up traps; they should be cleaned out.
There's a leak @ the return nipple (very common).
Tell your clients to ditch the digital low water cutoff. Those things are crap. Read the fine print; it says pull the probe every year to clean it, or it can fail. Guess how many folks do that? And, on this boiler, they got the thing where you can't get to it. Expect the installer to disagree.
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Kurt in Chicago
"If I smell it, it goes in the report".............Phillip Smith...2012
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Denver, CO
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Automatic Water Feed
[#5] Posted: 04/25/2012 - 08:06:46 AM | | |
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Did you check all the traps @ the radiators? Very common to have screwed up traps; they should be cleaned out.
How would I check the traps? I felt the radiators about 10 minutes after starting the system: one side was warm and the far side was still cool. I thought that was normal when starting up from dead cold. One more reason why I disclaim steam systems and tell them to get an expert to take a closer look.
Quote: There's a leak @ the return nipple (very common).
Yep. We talked about that.
Quote: Tell your clients to ditch the digital low water cutoff. Those things are crap. Read the fine print; it says pull the probe every year to clean it, or it can fail. Guess how many folks do that? And, on this boiler, they got the thing where you can't get to it. Expect the installer to disagree.
Is that the black box beside the site tube?
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Garet Denise
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State: PA & NJ
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State: PA & NJ
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Ridgewood, NJ
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Automatic Water Feed
[#8] Posted: 04/25/2012 - 5:15:26 PM | | |
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What's the small gray box sitting on top of the junction box above the LWC?
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Neal Lewis
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Chicago, IL
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Automatic Water Feed
[#9] Posted: 04/25/2012 - 7:03:11 PM | | |
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I check the traps with IR. Without it, I guess you're right; it's more or less impossible.
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Kurt in Chicago
"If I smell it, it goes in the report".............Phillip Smith...2012
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Chicago, IL
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Automatic Water Feed
[#10] Posted: 04/26/2012 - 06:41:06 AM | | |
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Terence sent me this link....how cool is this?
Cool thing
You swipe them on the downstream side of the trap; if it melts, steam is blowing through.
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Kurt in Chicago
"If I smell it, it goes in the report".............Phillip Smith...2012
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Chicago, IL
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