usedvolvoboy
New Member
I think the boiler is approx. 25 y.o. It's developing a hot spot on the back and side of the unit and from looking through the view port I can see where the liner has sagged in the burn chamber and the exposed inside spots line up perfectly to the hot spots on the outside (hot spots have some discoloration as the paint has faded but no smoke or combustion gases can be smelled).
It's got a DHW coil as well.
I know the unit has about lived its lifespan, but I'd like to get at least this heating season out of it. I've got a wood stove so I can reduce the boiler's running as much as possible, but it's still got to keep the DHW running so I'd like to just buy the replacement liner kit and install it myself.
From talking to a reputable local heating contractor, he said having him perform the repair wouldn't be worth it as it would involve 2 guys and 1.5 days labor (if I understood him correctly), and the burn chamber would need to be replaced rather than just the liner. Essentially a complete breakdown & rebuild. His main concern was resealing the burn chamber (again, if I understood him correctly). He said a new system wouldn't be much more expensive relatively speaking, for a similar level of replacement. We didn't get completely into specifics but he wasn't pushing me one way or the other, and said he would do the repair if that's the way I wanted to go.
I can't seem to find any technical manuals for the RS series boilers, and I think I can tackle this job myself as long as I educate myself on the procedure and things to watch out for. Can anyone here give me some advice on any particular things I need to do the job, like high temp sealants, etc?
Whoever plumbed this didn't combine both zones into 1 return, they plumbed the return for 1 zone into the back of the unit, where I'm guessing the drain should be. You can see that in the right of the picture. From my lurking on this and other sites and reading the installation literature on the RSA's, that doesn't seem quite right, but this thing has been chugging away for at least a decade this way and the house is comfy in both zones.
We just bought the house 8 months ago, so I've been learning how the previous owners have set up the heating system, etc. Not the way I would have done it, but hey....I enjoy learning.
Thanks in advance. --Jason
It's got a DHW coil as well.
I know the unit has about lived its lifespan, but I'd like to get at least this heating season out of it. I've got a wood stove so I can reduce the boiler's running as much as possible, but it's still got to keep the DHW running so I'd like to just buy the replacement liner kit and install it myself.
From talking to a reputable local heating contractor, he said having him perform the repair wouldn't be worth it as it would involve 2 guys and 1.5 days labor (if I understood him correctly), and the burn chamber would need to be replaced rather than just the liner. Essentially a complete breakdown & rebuild. His main concern was resealing the burn chamber (again, if I understood him correctly). He said a new system wouldn't be much more expensive relatively speaking, for a similar level of replacement. We didn't get completely into specifics but he wasn't pushing me one way or the other, and said he would do the repair if that's the way I wanted to go.
I can't seem to find any technical manuals for the RS series boilers, and I think I can tackle this job myself as long as I educate myself on the procedure and things to watch out for. Can anyone here give me some advice on any particular things I need to do the job, like high temp sealants, etc?
Whoever plumbed this didn't combine both zones into 1 return, they plumbed the return for 1 zone into the back of the unit, where I'm guessing the drain should be. You can see that in the right of the picture. From my lurking on this and other sites and reading the installation literature on the RSA's, that doesn't seem quite right, but this thing has been chugging away for at least a decade this way and the house is comfy in both zones.
We just bought the house 8 months ago, so I've been learning how the previous owners have set up the heating system, etc. Not the way I would have done it, but hey....I enjoy learning.
Thanks in advance. --Jason
