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Forced hot water boiler help please

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#1 · (Edited)
My parents have a forced hot water heater with radiators. There is no heat going to the house. We checked pilot light is on. My father thinks it the house thermostat? Is there a thermostat in the unit? We have a Peerless Gas Boiler GEM 225 WC. Pictures look like Rmudder 10-30-2010, 09:09 PM posting, but the parts aren't rusted. My father wants to turn power off and replace thermostat. Could it be this or something else? Could you guys help me with this please.
Thanks
 
#3 ·
My parents have a forced hot water heater with radiators. There is no heat going to the house. We checked pilot light is on. My father thinks it the house thermostat? Is there a thermostat in the unit? We have a Peerless Gas Boiler GEM 225 WC. Pictures look like Rmudder 10-30-2010, 09:09 PM posting, but the parts aren't rusted. My father wants to turn power off and replace thermostat. Could it be this or something else? Could you guys help me with this please.
Thanks
Has anyone worked on the boiler lately? If so, that's a likely area to look at.
The link goes to the forum guide, nowhere else.
The first thing I'd check is to see the boiler switch wasn't turned off.
Most houses have one at the top of the basement stairs and some have additional ones at the boiler.
I'd then check to see if the breaker is on. Once you check that, you can move on to the thermostat.
If the thermostat is a digital one, look at the screen. Is the reading legible? If the thermostat has batteries and they're too low, you won't get heat. If the screen is easily readable, is the temperature reading blinking? That's a sign the thermostat is calling for the boiler to turn on. If that's the case, go down to the boiler and see if it has a vent damper. That's a mechanical disk in the flue pipe. It will be mounted in the flue just as it exits the top of the boiler. This device needs to open before the boiler turns on. If you have one, tap the side of it and see if it opens by itself. If it does, plan to replace it as it's at the end of it's life. Mine lasted 10 years.
If it doesn't open by itself, there's a switch on the side. You can move the switch and manuallyopen the damper. Once it's open, the boiler will come on. Lock the damper in the open position until you can get it replaced.
Check this stuff and let me know the outcome.
Ron
 
#4 · (Edited)
Father was right, I purchased a honeywell (heat only) non digital thermostat and it worked. But tonight my father was turning on the lights in the dining room, preparing to adjust the thermostat, and the lights went out in a few rooms in the house. He went to the circuit breaker and switch on the rooms that blow out. Came back to the thermostat to adjust and now it isn't working! Should I replace the honeywell or should I jumper the control where the T-stat attaches? How do you jumper the control? How do you know where T-Stat attaches? Freezing in house!!!
 

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#5 ·
I think my father is the only one to check boiler. He cleans and vacs the dirt out and replaced the pilot light. I'm hoping to find diagram of whats in the system. He knows the pilot light switch, but he isn't sure where the thermostat is and a few other things. I'll ask him about the vent damper and mechanical disk.
 
#7 ·
I think my father is the only one to check boiler. He cleans and vacs the dirt out and replaced the pilot light. I'm hoping to find diagram of whats in the system. He knows the pilot light switch, but he isn't sure where the thermostat is and a few other things. I'll ask him about the vent damper and mechanical disk.
Ayuh,... It appears, That's a problem...
That boiler needs some Professional attention...

Leaks, like the 1 at the circulator, can't be left alone, but must be Fixed...

Btw,... The T-stat is the white wires coming into the control from the bottom right corner...
 
#6 ·
If you have a low voltage thermostat, you just connect the 2 wires together to turn the boiler on. The boiler won't go off until you disconnect the wires.
This is a temporay solution and should not be down long term.
This looks like a house that is not maintained if the boiler is any indication. The circulator pump needs to have it's gaskets replaced. The wiring I see in the picture doesn't belong there and the burner tubes don't look like they've been cleaned in a long time.
You could have posted a picture of the stack coming out of the boiler to know if there was a vent damper.
If the lights go out, check the panel for a tripped breaker. If it's not the breaker, call an electrician.
Ron
 
#8 ·
This isn't the picture of my system. Its the picture I referred to in look like Rmudder 10-30-2010, 09:09 PM posting. I will take a picture of our system, but not sure how to upload.
How do you know if you have a low voltage thermostat? Used Honeywell CT87N/CT87K, which worked until lights went out.
 
#10 ·
How long did it work? Those aren't one of Honeywell's better thermostat ideas.

On the boilers aquastat you should see 2 terminals Marked T. The TT terminals are where the thermostat connects to.
 
#12 ·
Pictures of my system. It last 2 days until the lights going out incident. Talked to Honeywell and they said wrong thermostat. I need RTH5100. A low voltage thermostat since I didn't know if my system was 24volts. Tried twisting wires to make system come on at wall, where we removed thermostat, but it didn't work. Running to Home Depot - will be back.
 

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#13 ·
That boiler needs to be cleaned also. The circulator pump might need to be oiled. Look for oil cups on the top and sides.
The thermostat wire is the thin one at the bottom of the electric box. It looks to be a low voltage thermostat. Youy can confirm this by looking at that wire and comparing it to the one that comes out of the wall upstairs.
Did you find the electrical issue? It may be the issue that shut the boiler down.
You can't allow the house temps to stay below freezing too long or the pipes will freeze and burst.
Ron
 
#15 ·
Did you see any small sparks when you touched the thermostat lines together. Touch those two wires together and apart a few times to see if you can see a small spark. If so, you at least know that you have power to the boiler and the thermostat circuit is complete. Beyond that, if your pilot is on, the gas valve contol is on and you don't have a manual limit control button that needs to be reset..the next step will require an electrical meter to see if you are getting 24 V at the gas valve terminals from the transformer.

PS. Is your house a rancher...because otherwise your water pressure looks to these old eyes, on the low side.
 
#16 ·
Back... Got a digital multimeter and a low volt thermostat, Honeywell rth1100b. Freezing in house now. Father thinks electrical issue was 2 heaters he had to help warm the house up faster. But that never happened before? When we twisted the wires the power was off, so no sparks. He doesn't want me to touch wires together while power is on - so I will use meter. I hope this works! House is a two unit, parents in one apartment - I'm in the other apartment.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Make sure the furnace breaker is on/ the on-off switch, which you may not have ( often on the side of the boiler or positioned higher than a normal light switch beside the closest door)is on. You can usually hear a little hum from the controls if the power is on.

Try checking the two terminals at the gas valve. If it has has 24 V , the pilot is on, the gas valve control is in the on position, and it isn't working then the way this boiler is wired up means that the gas valve will need to be changed.
If it doesn't have 24 V then you need to check the thermostat lines for 24 V. If nothing then check the thermostat lines at the boiler. If you have 24V there then the problem is somewhere on the thermostat/wire circuit.

I am assuming that you don't have any damper controls on the boiler vent?
 
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