Burnham goes overpressure in the AM

[John Gayewski]

I think I follow by now.

Here's what you should know: I didn't size the relief or the expansion tank. The size of the expansion tank is limited by clearance. It just won't fit a bigger one.

Here's what I did
1) Turned the boiler off and pulled some water out to let it come back to cold pressure (right at 15 PSI)
2) Added some air to the expansion tank - both gauges were reading that it was very low. (brought it to 14 PSI)
3) For good measure, I upped the min temp from 120 to 140 or so so that it won't work as hard in the morning
4) I'm going to watch it like a hawk over the next 24 hours, and if this doesn't work (and I don't think it will), I'll call a professional

Let me know if any of that sounds crazy, otherwise I'll report back the results

There are other possibilities and troubleshooting things to do. This is just first. Might be better to call a pro since we're like 35 messages in and only on step one, lol.

I think I follow by now.

Here's what you should know: I didn't size the relief or the expansion tank. The size of the expansion tank is limited by clearance. It just won't fit a bigger one.

Here's what I did
1) Turned the boiler off and pulled some water out to let it come back to cold pressure (right at 15 PSI)
2) Added some air to the expansion tank - both gauges were reading that it was very low. (brought it to 14 PSI)
3) For good measure, I upped the min temp from 120 to 140 or so so that it won't work as hard in the morning
4) I'm going to watch it like a hawk over the next 24 hours, and if this doesn't work (and I don't think it will), I'll call a professional

Let me know if any of that sounds crazy, otherwise I'll report back the results

I'm just going to inform you that an expansion tank can be anywhere. It could be sitting in your garage clear away from your "mechanical room" so space shouldn't matter all that much. You do need to probably call a pro.

 

[GrumpyPlumber]

deleted/dupe

 

[Sponsor]

 

[GrumpyPlumber]

Hi Grumpy - don't worry, I'm leaning toward the same and watching it closely. Part of the underlying issue is .... was the original install bad , if so I probably need to call someone else in. (Install was under previous owner)

After doing some reading, the measurements above appear to indicate that the aquastat is letting the system run too long. Could that cause the issue?

What was supposed to happen:
-Start off at min 140 F
-Diff was set to (~17)
-Shut off at 157

What did happen:
-Shut off at 175 (max)

Points to the aquastat being the problem, right? Assume that no matter how the tank is sized, etc..... letting the system run too long will inevitably cause pressure problems?

If your home is all radiant floor heat, then you'd want temps to run as low as 140.

If you have standard baseboard heat, should be at 180, but 175 will suffice.

My concern, at this point, is whether you modified the correct setting, saying it runs to 175 when you set it to 157 is concerning.

Your boiler is an alpine, pretty high tech - not an old school cast iron clunker.

Open the owner's manual, there should be a customer service/tech support number to call, I'll wager they will not help you beyond basic settings if you're not licensed, but they can probably refer you to a specialist in your area that is certified, or experienced with Burnham Alpine.

 

[GrumpyPlumber]

Does this low temperature setting cause the boiler to not let the water drop below that limit during the whole heating season, or is it something else?

Burnham Alpine is a condensing boiler, they're most efficient at lower temps. (If I recall - 95% @ 140f, 88% @ 180f)

By moving the low temp up, he loses efficiency, heat that would normally dissipate/radiate and contribute to his home's heat is now being ignored and his boiler kicks on at a higher, less efficient, temp.

Also, any time a gas burner fires, small amounts of gas are expended prior to ignition, the more frequent it fires, the greater % of gas is unburnt per capita.



.

 

[JD12345]

I called a tech. They requested that I turn off the supply line to the boiler and check in the AM. Said it's some combo of:
-Expansion Tank
-Pressure Reducing / input valve
-Possibly a leak in the coil that heats the indirect

Also said my PRV is too big, but wants to quote it all at once. I hear you Grumpy, I'm going to get it fixed. Despite what my wife says, I listen.

 

[GrumpyPlumber]

"-Possibly a leak in the coil that heats the indirect"

Son of a gun, I just assumed you had no DHW off the boiler.

On sight, when I see a boiler connected to a DHW loop leaking at the relief, that's high on the list of suspect causes.

 

[John Gayewski]

I called a tech. They requested that I turn off the supply line to the boiler and check in the AM. Said it's some combo of:
-Expansion Tank
-Pressure Reducing / input valve
-Possibly a leak in the coil that heats the indirect

Also said my PRV is too big, but wants to quote it all at once. I hear you Grumpy, I'm going to get it fixed. Despite what my wife says, I listen.

Yeah step 2 after about 30 more posts was check the feed valve. Then 30 more posts and step 3 the coil if there is one.

 

[JD12345]

Yeah step 2 after about 30 more posts was check the feed valve. Then 30 more posts and step 3 the coil if there is one.

yeah yeah, i know i know. I do appreciate all the help. A lot of this is just learning the 101 on how everything works together. Glad you all can humor me and keep answering questions.

I have always figured that any person in the trades that isn't too busy to help with something I can fix is suspect.