Boiler problem

[mattlistener]

The heat in our house went out today (I'm working from home). We have steam-heated radiators.

I got the heat going again by adding water to the boiler. It was hard to tell how much to add since the level in the tube was *above* the line. Where it has been ever since heating season started.

I had already noticed that water-level response in the tube had gotten sluggish. Now it appears to be completely cut off from the reservoir in the boiler, as a result of which my only way to know when to add water is when the heat goes out, and I fear adding too much.

Is there any way to fix this that doesn't involve trying to get a heating contractor to visit us right at the beginning of heating season, when *everyone* is discovering that their heat is broken?

Comments

[docorion.livejournal.com]

There ought to be a flush valve somewhere near the tube. If you can figure out where it is, flush a bunch of water through the boiler. It's amazing how much foul black stuff accumulates in there; I did this once a month on the boiler for the second floor at our old house, and it never failed to produce gallons of black, mildly smelly/sooty water.

[mattlistener.livejournal.com]

Ah -- I forgot to mention that flushing the guck into a bucket is in fact something I've kept up with. The boiler is right near the washer/dryer so I just do a guck flush every time I do laundry.

I like Chip's suggestion though, I'll try that.

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

If you have a contract with a oil company to deliver your oil, there is normally a standard yearly checkup that they will do for free. Yes, they stress tryign to do this before heating season opens.

However, if your heater just Isn't Working, they have a requirement to get to your home within 24 hours (often within the hour) to make your furnace work. I know this because I had them come out in the middle of the night once when my heater was making really nasty noises. I was willing to wait til morning, but they insisted they should come out right then!

[gosling.livejournal.com]

Both units in our house have gas heat, not oil.

[ceo]

I left you voice mail about this, but try doing a full drain and flush. Run a hose from the drain spigot to the floor drain outside the front basement entrance (the basement bathtub might be a better choice, it occurs to me). It's probably a good idea to drain and refill a couple times to get the guck out of there.

If you go upstairs while filling, get caught up in something else and later notice water coming out of the vent valves on the radiators, that means you've managed to fill the entire system with water. DAMHIKT.

[mattlistener.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'll call for more advice on details before proceeding...