This is helpful; thank you. I’d also suggest including a video demonstrating troubleshooting for the most common repairs-that would be incredibly useful.
I have worked with Boiler Hot water systems for 30 years. Consider this for easier maintenance of a boiler system: Valves on both side of circulator, zone valves and extrol tank so that a real water mess doesn't have to be and sometimes the issue of getting out all the Air that is created.
First I want to say thanks for info on your video, it really does help narrow things down. I read a comment here on their boiler having a high boiler pressure of 40 and like you said, it should be around 12-15 psi. I'm trying to diagnose my system which is currently reading at almost 0, I was thinking on opening the pressure valve, but what if I do that and pressure keeps going down? My expansion tank seems to be fine, water on top and air on the bottom, not full of water. Does this just happen overtime, we haven't done any piping around the house 🤔The main reason I was checking my boiler recently is because we lost heat on the second floor, and I don't think it's the zone heads. I thought maybe it was the second-floor zone head that was bad, but when I unwired a good zone from the first-floor, and hooked the possible bad head to the first floor, the heat on the first floor worked just fine and the good head for the second zone wasn't working. There is voltage going through the heads, thought when I call for heat on the second zone, the furnace doesn't fire up. I realized then that the PSI from my boiler was almost 0. What could this mean?
Unfortunately it could be a leak somewhere, if it won’t fill then the water is leaking out somewhere. But you pressure reducing valve should be letting water in until it hits set point
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My low water alarm keeps tripping and then resets after awhile. Since the temp dropped the system has been running alot. I have bled all the rads and very little air is coming out. I did a couple quick opens on my fill valve and that seems to be working. Also opened and closed all the other vavles and they are all free. I replaced the expansion tank, pump, pressure relief, and logic board about 2 years ago. The system is 18 years old with no zones. Is there a way to test if the low water alarm is bad or to know if there is air in the boiler?
I have a 54 year old National US gas Boiler with 3 zones. Replaced all zone valve heads (Honeywell),replaced expansion tank 2x and air eliminator 3x also the pump a few times. Have a GRUNDFOS pump now instead of B & G, too many leaky bearings on those. Also replaced pressure reducer valve and one 24 volt transformer and the 24 to 120 volt relay. I keep water turned off to system as the reducing valve is faulty. Still have original gas valve and high temp cutoff. Changed a few thermocouples though. Have plenty of Hydronic #5 in the system. Very good reliable heat. Same cast iron burners. Looks brand new yet. The last indefinitely if maintained.
Yeah cast iron are solid but the heat exchangers eventually crack and leak, that's kind of when we replace them or if the casing is compromised and leaking CO which is very common on some (like the Bryant cast irons from the 60's / 70's)
You have to push it into the notch and hold it there for 5 seconds or so until it catches. It's spring loaded. You might have a bad zone valve if the spring isn't working at all
I am in Greeley so a bit out of your service area. I have had 6 different boiler "specialists" come out to try and solve my heat issue. It's been going on for years and gets worse every year. I've been told my boiler is in good shape and is operating correctly, properly sized by everyone that's looked at it. The last person I had come look at it came highly recommended charged $360 to come tell me he doesn't know what the problem is. Would love an expert who can solve the problem!
Email contact@thebeehvac.com can't guarantee when we can come out but might be able to make an exception on the service area. I feel your pain it's hard to find good boiler techs. If we can't make it I can certainly find a qualified referral, what exactly is the issue?
Thank you for your video. I'm in the process of trying to figure out why my boiler is not heating and if I need to replace the system and all this would entail - such as: what system to purchase, who should I hire, what should it cost, what kind of warranty should one expect on equipment and installation, what should home owner prepare to do (maintenance) in order to keep system in top notch shape, how long should one expect a boiler heating system to last?
For what it’s worth we prefer cast iron systems even though they’re less efficient because the cast iron boilers are just generally more durable than a combi boiler. Some people are just “gung ho” on high efficiency and dead set but really cast iron is much less maintenance, and if you did nothing to it at all it would likely be 5-10 years or more before your first service call. Whereas combi boilers are definitely more finicky if not maintained / flushed periodically. This makes more sense on propane because it’s so expensive (at least in Colorado, anywhere from $2-$3 a gallon) so it really makes efficiency count.
My Boiler is 54 years old 3 Zone and they can last a hundred years as long as the cast iron is good. All components are available and replaceable. My National US boiler has had the pump replaced a few times. The Honeywell zones changed one time as has expansion tank. Still have original gas valve and high temp cutoff. The 24 volt to 110 volt relay replaced once and one of the 24 volt transformers. Still have the original Honeywell mercury thermostats. I keep plenty of Hydronic #5 Inhiibitor in it which lubricates the valves and pump and stops rust. Have a GRUNDFOS circulator pump on it which used to.5 amp electricity. I keep extra thermocouples on hand in case pilot goes out. Always leave the pilot on if in basement to keep the sections dry. Boilers last indefinitely and very affordable gas bills. The best heat EVER.
i have a Laars mini therm and its starting to hum when the broilers has flame. Once the broiler flame is off no humming should. I checked the expansion tank and its ok. please advise
I have a steam system Weil Mclain SRO 3 and HTP indirect water tank. Sometimes the tank and the Taco circulator pump makes a humming or buzzing sound. The heat and hot water are both working. Is this a concern?
I have a Weil-Mclain boiler heating my two flat. Thermostat is on the first floor. Thermosta is at 74 degrees and 1st florr is very warm, but secind floor is not warming, or not as warm. Ill be wearing a bathing suit on the first floor soon just to get the secimd floor warm enough?
Do you have more than one thermostat or zone? If the upstairs is not heating up you probably have air locked sections and need it purged if there's not a zone valve there or something that's failed but if you don't have a thermostat then you shouldn't have a separate zone valve to worry about... bleeding the lines is normally a relatively easy fix
I found it helpful. I do have some questions. Is it a problem to combine radiators and baseboard heaters? And can having 8 zones cause the heater to turn off if only some of the zone valves are calling for heat? I would like to get an estimate.
No, it is not a problem. There is often a mix of baseboards, radiators, and even sometimes radiant floors all on the same system. They will be set up to accommodate this though, because they each have different ideal set point temperatures for the water. And if the zones are not turning on the boiler, typically what you'll see is a situation where some of the zone valves have a bad end switch, which doesn't turn on the boiler, but might still open the valve, which means that certain zones will only heat when other zones are calling, and this is a very common occurrence on older zone valves. Typically once they hit the 15 to 20 year mark zone valves start to fail. Happy to get you an estimate just email contact@thebeehvac.com 😊
Hydrotherm? If it's filling with water and there's no pressure there's either a leak somewhere which should be very easy to find (causing water damage or flood?), so if there's still no pressure it's not full... how long did you lift the fill valve? A few seconds 5 minutes? An hour? Normally takes a minute or two to fill... You need pressure and then diagnose why it's not firing can be a lot of things but without pressure / water it might have a Lwco (low water cutoff), and might have other things wrong with electronics igniters etc, if it won't fire or turn on then that's an issue but if it's firing but not circulating could be pump could be bad zone valves... throwing parts at it could get very expensive I would call a tech and get it diagnosed
I LIVE IN UPSTATE NY AND TEMPS DROPPED THIS WEEK TO THE LOWER 30’S FEELS LIKE 10. WHEN THIS HAPPENED THE HEAT WAS NOT MAINTAINING TEMP. THERMOSTAT SAYS 72 AND HEAT IS AT 64. TRYING TO DECIDE IF A NEW THERMOSTAT IS NECESSARY OR IS IT POSSIBLY SOMETHING MORE COSTLY.
Came home from work today with snow coming down outside, to step inside a freezing home. 😂 Opened the door to the basement and a wave of muggy heat hit my face. Went down to look and, no surprise, there's a ring of water almost all the way around it. It's a Dunkirk something or other, and turns on everything runs maybe two pipes get hot the others cold. The valve says no psi and reads 180+ degrees. I turned it off. I'm thinking it's the bad air eliminator, it checks all the boxes. Since we moved in a couple years ago we haven't been able to heat upstairs. 🤔 What do you think? I appreciate any pointers you may have!😊
Bad zone valve upstairs and if psi is zero it's not filling with water so probably a stuck prv and the system is overheating now... just need to fill purge and replace a few components probably... prv, pressure relief, backflow and a zone valve that isn't working for upstairs (my guess) and/or it's airlocked and not circulating upstairs because of air in the lines (especially if you hear river noises)
I have a Dunkirk boiler at our church that won’t ignite. Initially I had a two flashes for the code. I found the flame roll out switch broken so I replaced it. Now I have four flashes for the code & still won’t ignite. This system has electronic ignition & the control module buzzes when I turn the power on but no spark @ the ignitor. Any suggestions what I should check next. John
Without knowing what that code is I don’t know, sounds like an igniter is bad/burnt out maybe… but find out what that code means it will be in the manual for the boiler, flashes aren’t universal from system to system but it will tell you what that means in the manual for that model. Check that before replacing more parts because it could be several things
Wheil McClain WTGO Series 3, 4 zone, LR Zone, 2nd floor not going above 65 degees when thermostat is set for 72 degrees. other Zones/thermostats seem to function ok
@@mike-yx7zd Yes, the pipe for that zone valve for that floor is hot, and the pipe above the zone valve for that floor is also hot. It is now heating to temp. set within 2 degrees of thermostat setting for that floor?
Pressure relief valve is tripping? You have pressure issues... could be bad expansion tank and Pressure reducing valve backflow preventer assembly is bad if the pressure is climbing over 30. Expansion tank is common failure point on these
We had the expansion tank and the pressure switch replaced in 2023just turned it on for the winter and we're not getting no heat because we are only getting 5 psi. Plus the water pump never never shut off.
Once there’s a call for heat it should open up right away… if the zone is not heating / circulating might be bad valve if everything else is open, assuming it’s not air locked and plumbed correctly. If it’s always worked before now and just stopped and the other zones are heating I wouldn’t be surprised if the valve went bad
I am wondering what to do if electric goes out and the system itself is a gas operated closed system Electric goes out and the motor doesn't operate. What happens and what can be done?
Electricity to the house? You need a backup generator installed and or a sub panel that has your essential circuits wired into it so you can run your heat during a power outage
Had a new set of boilers installed in our church and I haven’t been able to get the temperature past 65 degrees. They’ve been out three times and yet to solve it. I don’t think the boiler is set high enough temperature wise. Any suggestions?
If it's traditional baseboards and radiators it's supposed to be 180F water temperature so if the temperature is high enough and it's not keeping up then it's probably a sizing issue
Did you check for power at the aquastat to make sure it was the problem first? If the circulator isn’t kicking on check for power at the aquastat circ terminals when there’s a call for heat / jumper heat, but your circulator won’t kick on if it’s not firing. It sounds like it’s not firing because it’s not responding to a call for heat so I’d verify the 24v call for heat first. Hope that helps!
Hi My moms boiler is 24 years old and recently wont turn off even with the thermostat off? aquastat was replaced 2 years ago,,it heats the house but when it reaches set temp it still runs
Could be a lot of issues like the end switch on a zone valve closed or something with the thermostat. I’d guess a zone valve is burnt out and end switch is stucj
If it’s not shutting off at the set point then there’s something wrong with the aquastat most likely because it’s not shutting the boiler off when temp is satisfied.
My radiators are getting hot while the circulator pump is off (note: no zone valves, no combined residential water heater). My situation is evidently not one of the 5 most common boiler repairs. I have an older system (at least pre-1990) where all controls seem to work (thermostat turns on circulator pump, "aquastat" regulates boiler tank temp to ~180F). Mysteriously however when the thermostat condition is satisfied and the circulator pump is not running, radiators in the loop become hot (three radiators earliest in the loop get hot, 3 later don't get noticably warm) . FYI - There is a Thrush Flow Control Valve (without a manual-open knob or lever) in the loop above the boiler and before the feed pipe to the rest of the loop. I am suspecting this may be the cause, but don't know how to proceed.
I’m having issues with heat, the boiler works and turns on, but it sounds very loud like a bang and then it turns off too fast therefore not heating my home enough and just burning through oil way too fast. The heat is set to 68 but the actual temp in the house is 62 . I’ve bled it for air and cleaned the vents and it’s still not heating the home enough. Idk what to do I’m too poor to call a tech
If you want to diy you can call a tech at least so you're not wasting time with a bad diagnosis... boilers are not something you want to just throw parts at because there's a lot of parts you can waste if you don't know what you're doing
If it's not circulating water that could be your pump or aquastat relay, but idk if that's what's happening there's not really enough information to diagnose it. Need to know if zones are opening or closing but they're probably aren't, there's a lot to check you can probably get a tech out to diagnose it for $100 or so
My Honeywell thermometer works for cooling but doesn’t turn on the heat. However when the downstairs thermometer is on for heat, the top floor thermometer suddenly work for the heat. Any ideas? Thanks
I have 3 zones in my house and one zone is very warm, 73 degrees when I turn it to 60 for nighttime sleeping, regardless of what I set my Thermostat at, or if I turn it off. What should I troubleshoot the end switch? Thanks
Sounds like the zone valve is stuck open, normally we replace the body and motor (the silver box if you have a Honeywell zone valve)… not sure if anything has been repiped recently because if so then it could be a plumbing or wiring issue but if it just started happening sounds like a stuck end switch. Replacing the zone body will replace the end switch and motor too
Thanks for your reply, I was thinking the same thing. Also hoping there was a way to close the valve manually. Yes I have 3 Honeywell silver boxes.@@TheHVACDopeShow
The zone is probably not closing all the way and when another zone calls for heat hot water leaks through it even though thermostat not calling for heat. Replace zone head.
Video would be more useful if the video actually shows where the components are on the system and how to check them one by one instead of just rattling off a list of possible problems in front of the camera
Every system is different you have to find your purge points, isolate you loops with ball valves (they should have isolation valves) and make sure the pump doesn't have a back flow preventer in the pump (not the system, system always has a back flow preventer). But the back flow preventers in the pumps always make it difficult to purge if you need to purge through the pump. Then you purge through each zone one by one. If you have radiant floors it's a different process because you have glycol or should have glycol.
Glycol mean you purge with glycol and a trash can until you get the mix to the right concentration but you want to do this before draining the system otherwise you'll have wasted a lot of glycol unless you're recharging the system with fresh glycol again
Apartment buildings are pretty much the same just depends on how big of a building… if you’re talking about a system with more than 10 zones it’s probably a little more complicated. But zone valves, pumps, and pressure issues are the most common causes as well as air locked in the zones / or sediment buildup over time will substantially impede flow and eventually cause issues
Thank you Sir. Have you ever been in a situation where you have to do hot water heater work on an apartment multifamily and need to drain the tank and open a hot water faucet to do a repair but you don't have access because you're in a hot water heater room?
Has it always been this way? If so I'd look at sizing and insulation... insulating your home / windows / doors attic etc weather stripping can all improve comfort as much as a new system
I have high pressure about 40psi what can be the cause of this it was running fine at 20-27 psi around there and then went up gradually stopped at 40 for now ?
Pressure reducing is stuck or bad. It should be 12-14. 20-22 on the high side when it’s hot but if you’re expansion tank is the right size or big enough to cover the expansion normally it will hold under 20 psi.
Yes, depends on the system though. If you have a high efficiency system setup in a cascade (multiple systems daisy chained for example) it can get very complicated very quickly, really have to see these ones in person because they’re all piped differently.
Please help...I have a aquatherm boiler and no one will help me.. I call plumber and hvac and they say NO! I have a air handler on the third floor. It is getting hot water from the boiler but no heat. The blower is strong but cold air. several other issues but I will start with this one. I can not find zone valves any where..only flow valves.....please help.
Zone valve will be a little Honeywell box or silver looking box that you can manually open to allow hot water to reach the coil temporarily. Do you mean no one works on aquatherm so they will only quote replacement ? Sounds like something with the zone valve not the boiler but idk... would have to see the boiler certain ones are obsolete like eternal boilers are garbage they have to be replaced. But not sure what you mean by no one will help you?
@@TheHVACDopeShow no one works on them. The local who company who installed it 20 years ago no longer installs or services them. A local plumbing supplier recommend a plumber for one repair (heated floors) and he stated the parts have been discontinued. Several other great companies I've used for my business and previous homes just tell me...sorry but we are not trained in boilers. I have used one repair man for several years and stated he has another customer who cant find anyone to work on theirs so they are removing it. I am located in the Hickory NC area. Your videos are great- I changed the pump myself hoping that was the issue but its not. I will take the cover off the air handler tomorrow to look for the valve. ....I also have problems with the heated floors but I will bother you with those questions once this is fixed. Thank you for answering so quickly.
Hi, I have a radiant system that uses a Takagi TK-3 tankless water heater. While I've had lots of issues with the system, the most recent one was a head scratcher that I'm hoping maybe someone has some thoughts as to what may have been going. The system had ignition issues this fall when I first fired it up this season, the burner would ignite and then blow out a few minutes later and throw a flame blow out error on the circuit. After doing lots of diagnosing, I replace the ignition rod and flame sensor to find that it was still having issues. Upon testing, I determined my gas supply was sufficient for the system and due to deductive reasoning, took an educated guess that the gas manifold/solenoid had failed. I found a new replacement and installed it and it started working again. Here is where I'm noticing a strange but positive result from replacing the part. 1. The burner is nearly quiet now compared to before, I suspect it was not burning very efficiently with the failing gas manifold. But more importantly 2. The house is heating better and the system is running less than it used to. Before the system would start with a 2-2.5 gpm flow rate but drop down to 1.2 or so after it ran for a couple hours. Over night the house couldn't hold temp and I'd notice the system would struggle to reheat during the day. After replacing the manifold, the house holds temp at night and no longer has to run continuously and the flow rate is holding steady at around 2.1 gpm which is what was suggested in the Takagi manual for residential closed loop heating systems. So I'm wondering if you have any idea as to why the manifold would fix all the issues I was having. Why my flow rate from pumps on each loop (Grundfos 3 speed 120v pumps) is steady, and why the house is staying warm even on nights that dip into the teens or lower? Appreciate any feedback, just recently found the channel and love the content!
Oh and the burner was able to get the water to the 140F set temp before and after. I see about a 20F temp drop from input to output temps which is in range of what I was seeing before the manifold failed. Should have mentioned that in my question. The system covers mostly an in floor heating loop but also covers a second baseboard loop in the basement. For what its worth, it does appear to be somewhat poorly designed the power vent is shared with my water heater to the chimney vent stack and the install manual absolutely says that is not a correct setup. I still need to figure out how that can be fixed (if possible)
Sounds like the installer maybe took some shortcuts. When you say manifold do you mean gas valve? Or manifold? Not familiar with that brand but if it’s quieter too one thing I’ve seen is people running the wrong Venturi (mixes air and gas) for LP vs natural gas and the system will sound terrible when that’s happening like a jet engine. It sounds like a few bad parts. My first guess was the heat exchanger was getting dirty or something (I’ve seen those clog and need be cleaned out after being clogged). But it just sounds like you had several issues causing it to not function properly and now that the flow rate has returned you’re getting better heat transfer in the home.
And the PVC exhaust probably just needs a separate dedicated exhaust is what it sounds like (in terms of how to fix that part). Which can be done and is not a big deal.
One thing about baseboard temps vs radiant floor temps… you should have mixing valves in there to keep the radiant floor below 130/135 F and the baseboard loops should be allowed to get up 180F or more. Anything under 180F on baseboards significantly cuts down your baseboard efficiency.
@@TheHVACDopeShow Thanks for the responses, lots here to respond to. So the part is called the "Manifold assemby" which includes multiple solenoids and attached is the manifold that gas is directed to the burner. It probably was clogged but nearly impossible to take apart and a replacement was reasonably priced. The system was already in place when we purchased the house 3 years ago but I believe it was installed in 2004. It was lacking a refill valve and PRV so it would run low on water for the previous owner. I added one and found both pumps had failed, replaced those, the air scrubber was bad, serviced that. If you can't tell it was a mess. Thankfully its fairly easy plumbing and I was taught plumbing growing up so replacing parts was certainly not a challenge.
We have a problem. We will see if I can figure it out. 4 zone Navien dual HW heating and on demand HW. 3 out of 4 zones function correctly. WE have unlimited HW from the tap. I figured it was a T stat so we ordered a digital one. (no idea why they'd install mercury switch) It has not yet arrived. Looking into manually flipping it on. I find an issue. Lever flops like it is not even connected to anything. I also see stripped gears on the lever. Motor appears normal. I tend to believe something internal to the lever is busted. I removed the power head. The pin that would be attached to the rubber ball moves freely about 1/4 turn or so. I will be picking up a new power head tomorrow. Hoping it is an easy fix at least
The lever will be loose when it’s powered that’s how you know it’s engaged (Honeywell zone valve) but if it’s like that when it’s loose it might not be making good contact or just be a bad valve, we see that sometimes on the powerheads
@@TheHVACDopeShow forgot to mention. The gears on the lever are so stripped that it can't hit the END switch. I am just hoping I don't need to replace the ball part. The new valve comes with it just in case. It also appears the motor does not stop spinning
@@TheHVACDopeShow I replaced the power head today. When it calls for heat. I see it move the lever. A red light on the controller comes on starting the pump but still no hot water going through. I then turned of all T stats. On the 3 that are fine. I manually opened each valve and then closed it. I hear water when I shut it off. Makes a noise. With the one that is a problem. I don't hear the noise the other 3 make. I am stumped now and migh need to have someone replace the rubber ball.
@@TheHVACDopeShow Had a plumber come by. He seems to think it is ice. Been down to -26C for a few days, Warmed up to -4 today. Supposed to get +5C on Sunday. When I was talking to him, I had an AHA moment. I think what went wrong is the valve lever stripped and failed. Had no way to open the valve. I felt the pipes and did note 3 were hot and one with the failed valve was quite warm. So the water stopped flowing. At that the pipes froze somewhere along a wall. He thinks he knows which radiator pipe it is based on water coming out of individual valves on each radiator. One of two things is going to happen. We will be fine and water will start flowing as normal. 2, Mop and buckets. Hoping for the best. lol.
Too bad i live in Otis, Colorado...My boiler will not heat upstairs.. Downstairs is fine ..There are 3 box looking things with wires on them one of them is hot before and after the box looking thing however one is cold after the box thing please help im on a very fixed budget and cant afford a big bill...
It could be a bad zone valve (the three things you're referring to as "boxes")... if heat isn't flowing and the thermostat is on it's either a bad connection or bad zone valve. There's a lever on top that allows you to open the valve manually, that will allow that zone to heat
This is helpful; thank you. I’d also suggest including a video demonstrating troubleshooting for the most common repairs-that would be incredibly useful.
Here to help pass my gas exam haha. Appreciate the help on the Zone valves
Nice haha good luck on the exam 🙌
I have worked with Boiler Hot water systems for 30 years. Consider this for easier maintenance of a boiler system: Valves on both side of circulator, zone valves and extrol tank so that a real water mess doesn't have to be and sometimes the issue of getting out all the Air that is created.
First I want to say thanks for info on your video, it really does help narrow things down. I read a comment here on their boiler having a high boiler pressure of 40 and like you said, it should be around 12-15 psi. I'm trying to diagnose my system which is currently reading at almost 0, I was thinking on opening the pressure valve, but what if I do that and pressure keeps going down? My expansion tank seems to be fine, water on top and air on the bottom, not full of water. Does this just happen overtime, we haven't done any piping around the house 🤔The main reason I was checking my boiler recently is because we lost heat on the second floor, and I don't think it's the zone heads. I thought maybe it was the second-floor zone head that was bad, but when I unwired a good zone from the first-floor, and hooked the possible bad head to the first floor, the heat on the first floor worked just fine and the good head for the second zone wasn't working. There is voltage going through the heads, thought when I call for heat on the second zone, the furnace doesn't fire up. I realized then that the PSI from my boiler was almost 0. What could this mean?
Unfortunately it could be a leak somewhere, if it won’t fill then the water is leaking out somewhere. But you pressure reducing valve should be letting water in until it hits set point
And by set point I mean pressure set point on the PRV
For more videos like this on how you can get the best HVAC for your home and avoid common mistakes, make sure you’re subscribed to the channel here youtube.com/@TheHVACDopeShow?sub_confirmation=1
Great vid. Straight to the point. Greetings from Southern Ontario, Canada
Thanks!
My low water alarm keeps tripping and then resets after awhile. Since the temp dropped the system has been running alot. I have bled all the rads and very little air is coming out. I did a couple quick opens on my fill valve and that seems to be working. Also opened and closed all the other vavles and they are all free. I replaced the expansion tank, pump, pressure relief, and logic board about 2 years ago. The system is 18 years old with no zones. Is there a way to test if the low water alarm is bad or to know if there is air in the boiler?
I have a crown bahama and it will come on after reset and will run heating all 3 zones but it will stop maybe after 10 to 15 min it seems...
I have a 54 year old National US gas Boiler with 3 zones. Replaced all zone valve heads (Honeywell),replaced expansion tank 2x and air eliminator 3x also the pump a few times. Have a GRUNDFOS pump now instead of B & G, too many leaky bearings on those. Also replaced pressure reducer valve and one 24 volt transformer and the 24 to 120 volt relay. I keep water turned off to system as the reducing valve is faulty. Still have original gas valve and high temp cutoff. Changed a few thermocouples though. Have plenty of Hydronic #5 in the system. Very good reliable heat. Same cast iron burners. Looks brand new yet. The last indefinitely if maintained.
Yeah cast iron are solid but the heat exchangers eventually crack and leak, that's kind of when we replace them or if the casing is compromised and leaking CO which is very common on some (like the Bryant cast irons from the 60's / 70's)
@ my heat exchanger is made of thick malleable steel. So far so good. I have a carbon monoxide detector right by the boiler.
Always keep the pilot on as mine is in a basement. Keeps rust away.
When I slide the lever to manual on honetwell zone valve it won’t stay in the notch
You have to push it into the notch and hold it there for 5 seconds or so until it catches. It's spring loaded. You might have a bad zone valve if the spring isn't working at all
I am in Greeley so a bit out of your service area. I have had 6 different boiler "specialists" come out to try and solve my heat issue. It's been going on for years and gets worse every year. I've been told my boiler is in good shape and is operating correctly, properly sized by everyone that's looked at it. The last person I had come look at it came highly recommended charged $360 to come tell me he doesn't know what the problem is. Would love an expert who can solve the problem!
Email contact@thebeehvac.com can't guarantee when we can come out but might be able to make an exception on the service area. I feel your pain it's hard to find good boiler techs. If we can't make it I can certainly find a qualified referral, what exactly is the issue?
Thank you for your video. I'm in the process of trying to figure out why my boiler is not heating and if I need to replace the system and all this would entail - such as: what system to purchase, who should I hire, what should it cost, what kind of warranty should one expect on equipment and installation, what should home owner prepare to do (maintenance) in order to keep system in top notch shape, how long should one expect a boiler heating system to last?
For what it’s worth we prefer cast iron systems even though they’re less efficient because the cast iron boilers are just generally more durable than a combi boiler. Some people are just “gung ho” on high efficiency and dead set but really cast iron is much less maintenance, and if you did nothing to it at all it would likely be 5-10 years or more before your first service call. Whereas combi boilers are definitely more finicky if not maintained / flushed periodically. This makes more sense on propane because it’s so expensive (at least in Colorado, anywhere from $2-$3 a gallon) so it really makes efficiency count.
My Boiler is 54 years old 3 Zone and they can last a hundred years as long as the cast iron is good. All components are available and replaceable. My National US boiler has had the pump replaced a few times. The Honeywell zones changed one time as has expansion tank. Still have original gas valve and high temp cutoff. The 24 volt to 110 volt relay replaced once and one of the 24 volt transformers. Still have the original Honeywell mercury thermostats. I keep plenty of Hydronic #5 Inhiibitor in it which lubricates the valves and pump and stops rust. Have a GRUNDFOS circulator pump on it which used to.5 amp electricity. I keep extra thermocouples on hand in case pilot goes out. Always leave the pilot on if in basement to keep the sections dry. Boilers last indefinitely and very affordable gas bills. The best heat EVER.
i have a Laars mini therm and its starting to hum when the broilers has flame. Once the broiler flame is off no humming should. I checked the expansion tank and its ok. please advise
I have a steam system Weil Mclain SRO 3 and HTP indirect water tank. Sometimes the tank and the Taco circulator pump makes a humming or buzzing sound. The heat and hot water are both working. Is this a concern?
I have a Weil-Mclain boiler heating my two flat. Thermostat is on the first floor. Thermosta is at 74 degrees and 1st florr is very warm, but secind floor is not warming, or not as warm. Ill be wearing a bathing suit on the first floor soon just to get the secimd floor warm enough?
Do you have more than one thermostat or zone? If the upstairs is not heating up you probably have air locked sections and need it purged if there's not a zone valve there or something that's failed but if you don't have a thermostat then you shouldn't have a separate zone valve to worry about... bleeding the lines is normally a relatively easy fix
I found it helpful. I do have some questions. Is it a problem to combine radiators and baseboard heaters? And can having 8 zones cause the heater to turn off if only some of the zone valves are calling for heat? I would like to get an estimate.
No, it is not a problem. There is often a mix of baseboards, radiators, and even sometimes radiant floors all on the same system. They will be set up to accommodate this though, because they each have different ideal set point temperatures for the water. And if the zones are not turning on the boiler, typically what you'll see is a situation where some of the zone valves have a bad end switch, which doesn't turn on the boiler, but might still open the valve, which means that certain zones will only heat when other zones are calling, and this is a very common occurrence on older zone valves. Typically once they hit the 15 to 20 year mark zone valves start to fail. Happy to get you an estimate just email contact@thebeehvac.com 😊
Have a hydra system about 10 years old no pressure or heat, manually opened feed valve to get pressure but still no heat
Hydrotherm? If it's filling with water and there's no pressure there's either a leak somewhere which should be very easy to find (causing water damage or flood?), so if there's still no pressure it's not full... how long did you lift the fill valve? A few seconds 5 minutes? An hour? Normally takes a minute or two to fill... You need pressure and then diagnose why it's not firing can be a lot of things but without pressure / water it might have a Lwco (low water cutoff), and might have other things wrong with electronics igniters etc, if it won't fire or turn on then that's an issue but if it's firing but not circulating could be pump could be bad zone valves... throwing parts at it could get very expensive I would call a tech and get it diagnosed
My electric boiler for my in floor heat lost pressure. Wright - Hennepin Cooperative Electric boiler.
I LIVE IN UPSTATE NY AND TEMPS DROPPED THIS WEEK TO THE LOWER 30’S FEELS LIKE 10. WHEN THIS HAPPENED THE HEAT WAS NOT MAINTAINING TEMP. THERMOSTAT SAYS 72 AND HEAT IS AT 64. TRYING TO DECIDE IF A NEW THERMOSTAT IS NECESSARY OR IS IT POSSIBLY SOMETHING MORE COSTLY.
Not likely the thermostat, I would have a tech come out could be 100 different things a decent boiler tech will be able to identify it pretty quickly.
Leaking windows 🪟, cold air coming in. Seal it up.
Came home from work today with snow coming down outside, to step inside a freezing home. 😂 Opened the door to the basement and a wave of muggy heat hit my face. Went down to look and, no surprise, there's a ring of water almost all the way around it. It's a Dunkirk something or other, and turns on everything runs maybe two pipes get hot the others cold. The valve says no psi and reads 180+ degrees. I turned it off. I'm thinking it's the bad air eliminator, it checks all the boxes. Since we moved in a couple years ago we haven't been able to heat upstairs. 🤔 What do you think? I appreciate any pointers you may have!😊
Bad zone valve upstairs and if psi is zero it's not filling with water so probably a stuck prv and the system is overheating now... just need to fill purge and replace a few components probably... prv, pressure relief, backflow and a zone valve that isn't working for upstairs (my guess) and/or it's airlocked and not circulating upstairs because of air in the lines (especially if you hear river noises)
I have a Dunkirk boiler at our church that won’t ignite. Initially I had a two flashes for the code. I found the flame roll out switch broken so I replaced it. Now I have four flashes for the code & still won’t ignite. This system has electronic ignition & the control module buzzes when I turn the power on but no spark @ the ignitor. Any suggestions what I should check next. John
Without knowing what that code is I don’t know, sounds like an igniter is bad/burnt out maybe… but find out what that code means it will be in the manual for the boiler, flashes aren’t universal from system to system but it will tell you what that means in the manual for that model. Check that before replacing more parts because it could be several things
Wheil McClain WTGO Series 3, 4 zone, LR Zone, 2nd floor not going above 65 degees when thermostat is set for 72 degrees. other Zones/thermostats seem to function ok
Is the pipe hot above the zone valve for that floor?
@@mike-yx7zd Yes, the pipe for that zone valve for that floor is hot, and the pipe above the zone valve for that floor is also hot. It is now heating to temp. set within 2 degrees of thermostat setting for that floor?
The spout on the side of leaks water when the boiler kicks on
Pressure relief valve is tripping? You have pressure issues... could be bad expansion tank and Pressure reducing valve backflow preventer assembly is bad if the pressure is climbing over 30. Expansion tank is common failure point on these
We had the expansion tank and the pressure switch replaced in 2023just turned it on for the winter and we're not getting no heat because we are only getting 5 psi. Plus the water pump never never shut off.
Pressure is low... pressure reducing fill valve not working?
Agree, pressure regulator needs changed.
on the taco zone valves how long do they typically take before opening enough to call for heat if one is taking longer than others is it going bad?
Once there’s a call for heat it should open up right away… if the zone is not heating / circulating might be bad valve if everything else is open, assuming it’s not air locked and plumbed correctly. If it’s always worked before now and just stopped and the other zones are heating I wouldn’t be surprised if the valve went bad
The old taco zone valves melt wax before the valve opens it can take 1.5 minutes to open but if it’s much longer it’s probably failing.
I am wondering what to do if electric goes out and the system itself is a gas operated closed system Electric goes out and the motor doesn't operate. What happens and what can be done?
Electricity to the house? You need a backup generator installed and or a sub panel that has your essential circuits wired into it so you can run your heat during a power outage
Had a new set of boilers installed in our church and I haven’t been able to get the temperature past 65 degrees. They’ve been out three times and yet to solve it. I don’t think the boiler is set high enough temperature wise. Any suggestions?
If it's traditional baseboards and radiators it's supposed to be 180F water temperature so if the temperature is high enough and it's not keeping up then it's probably a sizing issue
My Bryant BW1aan is not firing, I change the Aquastat, added a thermocouple. don't hear the circulator pump how to look for the problem
Did you check for power at the aquastat to make sure it was the problem first? If the circulator isn’t kicking on check for power at the aquastat circ terminals when there’s a call for heat / jumper heat, but your circulator won’t kick on if it’s not firing. It sounds like it’s not firing because it’s not responding to a call for heat so I’d verify the 24v call for heat first. Hope that helps!
Hi My moms boiler is 24 years old and recently wont turn off even with the thermostat off? aquastat was replaced 2 years ago,,it heats the house but when it reaches set temp it still runs
Could be a lot of issues like the end switch on a zone valve closed or something with the thermostat. I’d guess a zone valve is burnt out and end switch is stucj
Temperature on furnace is reaching 250 degrees. Water and steam are shooting out of the relief valve. Trying to figure out why water is overheating.
If it’s not shutting off at the set point then there’s something wrong with the aquastat most likely because it’s not shutting the boiler off when temp is satisfied.
My radiators are getting hot while the circulator pump is off (note: no zone valves, no combined residential water heater). My situation is evidently not one of the 5 most common boiler repairs. I have an older system (at least pre-1990) where all controls seem to work (thermostat turns on circulator pump, "aquastat" regulates boiler tank temp to ~180F). Mysteriously however when the thermostat condition is satisfied and the circulator pump is not running, radiators in the loop become hot (three radiators earliest in the loop get hot, 3 later don't get noticably warm) . FYI - There is a Thrush Flow Control Valve (without a manual-open knob or lever) in the loop above the boiler and before the feed pipe to the rest of the loop. I am suspecting this may be the cause, but don't know how to proceed.
I’m having issues with heat, the boiler works and turns on, but it sounds very loud like a bang and then it turns off too fast therefore not heating my home enough and just burning through oil way too fast. The heat is set to 68 but the actual temp in the house is 62 . I’ve bled it for air and cleaned the vents and it’s still not heating the home enough. Idk what to do I’m too poor to call a tech
If you want to diy you can call a tech at least so you're not wasting time with a bad diagnosis... boilers are not something you want to just throw parts at because there's a lot of parts you can waste if you don't know what you're doing
If it's not circulating water that could be your pump or aquastat relay, but idk if that's what's happening there's not really enough information to diagnose it. Need to know if zones are opening or closing but they're probably aren't, there's a lot to check you can probably get a tech out to diagnose it for $100 or so
My Honeywell thermometer works for cooling but doesn’t turn on the heat. However when the downstairs thermometer is on for heat, the top floor thermometer suddenly work for the heat. Any ideas? Thanks
Probably a bad zone valve or wired incorrectly... if one zone valve is stuck open when the other calls it will circulate both zones
I have 3 zones in my house and one zone is very warm, 73 degrees when I turn it to 60 for nighttime sleeping, regardless of what I set my Thermostat at, or if I turn it off. What should I troubleshoot the end switch? Thanks
Sounds like the zone valve is stuck open, normally we replace the body and motor (the silver box if you have a Honeywell zone valve)… not sure if anything has been repiped recently because if so then it could be a plumbing or wiring issue but if it just started happening sounds like a stuck end switch. Replacing the zone body will replace the end switch and motor too
Thanks for your reply, I was thinking the same thing. Also hoping there was a way to close the valve manually. Yes I have 3 Honeywell silver boxes.@@TheHVACDopeShow
You havea a defective zone valve that is not closing and causing leakage through when another zone calls for heat.
Honeywell zone valves are the best. If bad you just change the head. No plumbing required.
The zone is probably not closing all the way and when another zone calls for heat hot water leaks through it even though thermostat not calling for heat. Replace zone head.
Video would be more useful if the video actually shows where the components are on the system and how to check them one by one instead of just rattling off a list of possible problems in front of the camera
Every system is different
I replaced my peerless boiler circulation pump. Not sure how to bleed the system.
Every system is different you have to find your purge points, isolate you loops with ball valves (they should have isolation valves) and make sure the pump doesn't have a back flow preventer in the pump (not the system, system always has a back flow preventer). But the back flow preventers in the pumps always make it difficult to purge if you need to purge through the pump. Then you purge through each zone one by one. If you have radiant floors it's a different process because you have glycol or should have glycol.
Glycol mean you purge with glycol and a trash can until you get the mix to the right concentration but you want to do this before draining the system otherwise you'll have wasted a lot of glycol unless you're recharging the system with fresh glycol again
Trying to find answers for most common boiler system problems on apartment multi family buildings.
I’d start with the zone valves
Apartment buildings are pretty much the same just depends on how big of a building… if you’re talking about a system with more than 10 zones it’s probably a little more complicated. But zone valves, pumps, and pressure issues are the most common causes as well as air locked in the zones / or sediment buildup over time will substantially impede flow and eventually cause issues
Thank you Sir. Have you ever been in a situation where you have to do hot water heater work on an apartment multifamily and need to drain the tank and open a hot water faucet to do a repair but you don't have access because you're in a hot water heater room?
my oil furnace works but the house is never warm help.
Has it always been this way? If so I'd look at sizing and insulation... insulating your home / windows / doors attic etc weather stripping can all improve comfort as much as a new system
I have high pressure about 40psi what can be the cause of this it was running fine at 20-27 psi around there and then went up gradually stopped at 40 for now ?
Pressure reducing is stuck or bad. It should be 12-14. 20-22 on the high side when it’s hot but if you’re expansion tank is the right size or big enough to cover the expansion normally it will hold under 20 psi.
Are these common problems on a multi family apartment building boiler system also?
Yes, depends on the system though. If you have a high efficiency system setup in a cascade (multiple systems daisy chained for example) it can get very complicated very quickly, really have to see these ones in person because they’re all piped differently.
I'm in of a pickle no heat . Need help live in Bronx NYC can you recommend someone.
Master comfort or Binaku? I don’t know any I just looked up on google they seem to have good reviews, not sure who you’ve tried calling already
Yost and Campbell also showed up as highly rated
Please help...I have a aquatherm boiler and no one will help me.. I call plumber and hvac and they say NO! I have a air handler on the third floor. It is getting hot water from the boiler but no heat. The blower is strong but cold air. several other issues but I will start with this one. I can not find zone valves any where..only flow valves.....please help.
Zone valve will be a little Honeywell box or silver looking box that you can manually open to allow hot water to reach the coil temporarily. Do you mean no one works on aquatherm so they will only quote replacement ? Sounds like something with the zone valve not the boiler but idk... would have to see the boiler certain ones are obsolete like eternal boilers are garbage they have to be replaced. But not sure what you mean by no one will help you?
@@TheHVACDopeShow no one works on them. The local who company who installed it 20 years ago no longer installs or services them. A local plumbing supplier recommend a plumber for one repair (heated floors) and he stated the parts have been discontinued. Several other great companies I've used for my business and previous homes just tell me...sorry but we are not trained in boilers. I have used one repair man for several years and stated he has another customer who cant find anyone to work on theirs so they are removing it. I am located in the Hickory NC area. Your videos are great- I changed the pump myself hoping that was the issue but its not. I will take the cover off the air handler tomorrow to look for the valve. ....I also have problems with the heated floors but I will bother you with those questions once this is fixed. Thank you for answering so quickly.
Hi, I have a radiant system that uses a Takagi TK-3 tankless water heater. While I've had lots of issues with the system, the most recent one was a head scratcher that I'm hoping maybe someone has some thoughts as to what may have been going. The system had ignition issues this fall when I first fired it up this season, the burner would ignite and then blow out a few minutes later and throw a flame blow out error on the circuit. After doing lots of diagnosing, I replace the ignition rod and flame sensor to find that it was still having issues. Upon testing, I determined my gas supply was sufficient for the system and due to deductive reasoning, took an educated guess that the gas manifold/solenoid had failed. I found a new replacement and installed it and it started working again. Here is where I'm noticing a strange but positive result from replacing the part. 1. The burner is nearly quiet now compared to before, I suspect it was not burning very efficiently with the failing gas manifold. But more importantly 2. The house is heating better and the system is running less than it used to. Before the system would start with a 2-2.5 gpm flow rate but drop down to 1.2 or so after it ran for a couple hours. Over night the house couldn't hold temp and I'd notice the system would struggle to reheat during the day. After replacing the manifold, the house holds temp at night and no longer has to run continuously and the flow rate is holding steady at around 2.1 gpm which is what was suggested in the Takagi manual for residential closed loop heating systems. So I'm wondering if you have any idea as to why the manifold would fix all the issues I was having. Why my flow rate from pumps on each loop (Grundfos 3 speed 120v pumps) is steady, and why the house is staying warm even on nights that dip into the teens or lower? Appreciate any feedback, just recently found the channel and love the content!
Oh and the burner was able to get the water to the 140F set temp before and after. I see about a 20F temp drop from input to output temps which is in range of what I was seeing before the manifold failed. Should have mentioned that in my question. The system covers mostly an in floor heating loop but also covers a second baseboard loop in the basement. For what its worth, it does appear to be somewhat poorly designed the power vent is shared with my water heater to the chimney vent stack and the install manual absolutely says that is not a correct setup. I still need to figure out how that can be fixed (if possible)
Sounds like the installer maybe took some shortcuts. When you say manifold do you mean gas valve? Or manifold? Not familiar with that brand but if it’s quieter too one thing I’ve seen is people running the wrong Venturi (mixes air and gas) for LP vs natural gas and the system will sound terrible when that’s happening like a jet engine. It sounds like a few bad parts. My first guess was the heat exchanger was getting dirty or something (I’ve seen those clog and need be cleaned out after being clogged). But it just sounds like you had several issues causing it to not function properly and now that the flow rate has returned you’re getting better heat transfer in the home.
And the PVC exhaust probably just needs a separate dedicated exhaust is what it sounds like (in terms of how to fix that part). Which can be done and is not a big deal.
One thing about baseboard temps vs radiant floor temps… you should have mixing valves in there to keep the radiant floor below 130/135 F and the baseboard loops should be allowed to get up 180F or more. Anything under 180F on baseboards significantly cuts down your baseboard efficiency.
@@TheHVACDopeShow Thanks for the responses, lots here to respond to. So the part is called the "Manifold assemby" which includes multiple solenoids and attached is the manifold that gas is directed to the burner. It probably was clogged but nearly impossible to take apart and a replacement was reasonably priced. The system was already in place when we purchased the house 3 years ago but I believe it was installed in 2004. It was lacking a refill valve and PRV so it would run low on water for the previous owner. I added one and found both pumps had failed, replaced those, the air scrubber was bad, serviced that. If you can't tell it was a mess. Thankfully its fairly easy plumbing and I was taught plumbing growing up so replacing parts was certainly not a challenge.
Boiler not firing with thermostat it runs only when using hot water
We have a problem. We will see if I can figure it out. 4 zone Navien dual HW heating and on demand HW. 3 out of 4 zones function correctly. WE have unlimited HW from the tap. I figured it was a T stat so we ordered a digital one. (no idea why they'd install mercury switch) It has not yet arrived. Looking into manually flipping it on. I find an issue. Lever flops like it is not even connected to anything. I also see stripped gears on the lever. Motor appears normal. I tend to believe something internal to the lever is busted. I removed the power head. The pin that would be attached to the rubber ball moves freely about 1/4 turn or so. I will be picking up a new power head tomorrow. Hoping it is an easy fix at least
Sounds like a bad zone valve lmk if it fixes it!
The lever will be loose when it’s powered that’s how you know it’s engaged (Honeywell zone valve) but if it’s like that when it’s loose it might not be making good contact or just be a bad valve, we see that sometimes on the powerheads
@@TheHVACDopeShow forgot to mention. The gears on the lever are so stripped that it can't hit the END switch. I am just hoping I don't need to replace the ball part. The new valve comes with it just in case. It also appears the motor does not stop spinning
@@TheHVACDopeShow I replaced the power head today. When it calls for heat. I see it move the lever. A red light on the controller comes on starting the pump but still no hot water going through. I then turned of all T stats. On the 3 that are fine. I manually opened each valve and then closed it. I hear water when I shut it off. Makes a noise. With the one that is a problem. I don't hear the noise the other 3 make. I am stumped now and migh need to have someone replace the rubber ball.
@@TheHVACDopeShow Had a plumber come by. He seems to think it is ice. Been down to -26C for a few days, Warmed up to -4 today. Supposed to get +5C on Sunday. When I was talking to him, I had an AHA moment. I think what went wrong is the valve lever stripped and failed. Had no way to open the valve. I felt the pipes and did note 3 were hot and one with the failed valve was quite warm. So the water stopped flowing. At that the pipes froze somewhere along a wall. He thinks he knows which radiator pipe it is based on water coming out of individual valves on each radiator. One of two things is going to happen. We will be fine and water will start flowing as normal. 2, Mop and buckets. Hoping for the best. lol.
Thank you
Forgot to mention that I have a Brrnham boiler as my heat source.
The biggest priblen with aboiler systen; is they aren't useing induction tehcnolgy to produce the heat!!!!!!!!!
Burners not lighting
Thermocouple
No heat on purpose
Too bad i live in Otis, Colorado...My boiler will not heat upstairs.. Downstairs is fine ..There are 3 box looking things with wires on them one of them is hot before and after the box looking thing however one is cold after the box thing please help im on a very fixed budget and cant afford a big bill...
It could be a bad zone valve (the three things you're referring to as "boxes")... if heat isn't flowing and the thermostat is on it's either a bad connection or bad zone valve. There's a lever on top that allows you to open the valve manually, that will allow that zone to heat
@TheHVACDopeShow ..I gave it a tap and it started working in a bit...Too bad y'all don't come out this far.