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1 pipe Steam boilers

5K views 6 replies 2 participants last post by  beenthere 
#1 ·
Hi I had 2 peerless steam boilers installed back in October. I should of left my ancient boilers they ran like a clock but I was told eventually they needed to be replaced. Well we have a 2 family so we had to buy 2 boilers and chose peerless. I dont know if this was the right thing to do. The problem we are having is the boilers only run for 10-15 minutes when they first come on and then they will continually go off and on every 1-2 minutes for the next hour. We have had the guy back here several times. He has changed the firing nozzle to a smaller one and adjusted the psi control down to 5lbs. We also changed every valve on our radiators and pitched every radiator in the house. One of the radiators on the 2nd floor boiler is constantly filling up with water and banging. We never ever had these problems with our old system so I dont understand what is going on. Can someone please help!! I would appreciate any advice . I am getting ready to move out I cant take the on and off of the boilers any longer. Thanks for your help. In the course of about an hour the boiler goes on and off 15-17 times. Could the problem be because he didnt run a cleaner through the system?? :furious:
 
#2 ·
Down to 5 PSIG???

Good grief. Shouldn't need more then 2 PSIG on your system.
You vents stop working at 3 PSIG.

So that rad is probably not able to let the water flow out of it, since the vent isn't able to open.

Are the new boilers the same size as the old one/ones were.
Newer boilers don't hold as much water, and build up steam pressure much quicker.
So hopefully, they didn't increase in size. They should have measured up your radiation(radiators BTU total) and sized to that. With a small allowance for piping gain.

Get that pressure set to on 1/2 pound, off 2 pound.

Where the vents also changed?
Is so, are they adjustable?
 
#3 ·
steam boiler

Hi Been There, Thanks so much for your quick reply. My husband said the settings are set at where you said they should be. However, it seems after the boiler has been running for about 30 minutes or so you can see the psi gauge moving up to but not beyond the 5lb mark. Is it possible there could be a clog in the pig tail pipe. When the man installed the new system he did not flush out the old system. We were told there maybe some junk clogging the system and to run colloid through the system. I am at my wits end and do not know where to turn. I really appreciate your help. I would really like to know what is causing the system to go off and on every other minute and shut off and on 15-17 times in an hour. Thanks so much!!
 
#4 ·
steam boiler

Hi Been There, Thanks so much for your quick reply. My husband said the settings are set at where you said they should be. However, it seems after the boiler has been running for about 30 minutes or so you can see the psi gauge moving up to but not beyond the 5lb mark. Is it possible there could be a clog in the pig tail pipe. When the man installed the new system he did not flush out the old system. We were told there maybe some junk clogging the system and to run colloid through the system. I am at my wits end and do not know where to turn. I really appreciate your help. I would really like to know what is causing the system to go off and on every other minute and shut off and on 15-17 times in an hour. Thanks so much!! Yes the vents were all changed and they are adjustable.
 
#5 ·
Guessing your husband opened the control to see the differential setting.

Plugged/restricted pigtail is possible.

What setting are the vents set to.

Do you have a new thermostat? Is it digital? If its digital, do you know what the CPH(Cycles Per Hour) is set to.

Steam pressure will continue to rise after burner shut off if all or most all of the vents are closed.
 
#6 ·
steam boiler

Hi, Thanks so much for getting back to me about my boiler that is a nightmare in itself. Yes we do have a new digital thermostat and I have called the rep for peerless boilers and he seems to think the problem maybe with the thermostat.I cant even begin to tell you how many times the man who installed the boiler has been to my house. He went as far as changing the firing nozzle to a smaller one because he thought that was the problem but obviously it didnt do the trick. I would think he should know what to do seeing hes the one who got paid all the money. I will keep you posted and look into the thermostat and I really hope that is the problem. Thanks so much for your help.
 
#7 ·
If you have the install instructions for your thermostat. See if you can adjust the CPH(cycles per hour). If its at 1. Change it to 2.

On your vents.
Set the one/ones in the room with the thermostat wide open.
Then the room that is the furtherest from the boiler also wide open, from there, the next furtherest, close it a little. And so on until you did all of them.

Easier to know how to set them after you have done it a hundred times or so.

Hopefully, Peerless can get him on the right track.
 
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