Archive for May, 2009
How long does a private landlord have legally to fix central heating boiler ?
I am in the Uk and our Gas Boiler has packed in. At first we told the estate agents that the boiler was leaking. They did nothing and now it has stopped working. How long, legally, can a private landlord in the Uk leave you without hot water or heating ? Our landlord is invisible. Estate agents wont even give us his phone number. Should we wait 2 days ? A week without hot water or heating. What is he legally obliged to do ?
Paul
contact your legal housing dept,
in the usa its called welfare office
Got my hot water oil burner furnace running, but think pressure is reason that the baseboards are not warming.?
I pressed the red starter reset button more time than I should have. The furnace would start then stop. I'd pressed the black plastic bubble button (like when you prime a buzz saw) a few times. I unscrewed the little bleeder valve and let it drain for about 2 or 3 seconds, then closed it back up. The furnace finally went on after that. Problem is, that I'm still not getting heat throughout my house. I have two zones, 1 upstairs and1 down. Heating guys are all booked up for the next week at least, and it is almost 0 degrees outside. I cannot wait for one to come. (I know that will be the first suggestion-to call the heating people. Did it already.) I drained some water from the two pipes that go back into the furnace (I beleive they are the return pipes). I also drained a bunch of water from the bottom of the furnace itself. I'd gotten the pressure up for a short period of time. I gave up this morning and went to work. Left the heat ON. (I have an electric heater plugged in, but it's not heating up the house too well) The furnace was hot when I arrived back from work this evening, but there was no pressure at all. The pipes are hot going INTO the furnace (I think that one comes from the hot water heater though). The bottom of the pipes that returns the water back to the furnace were hot,but only for about 1 foot up – then they got cold. What do I do. I don't know much about this stuff. I looked up how to restart the furnace online and have a small diagram of the spot with the reset button and the bleeder valve. I don't know what to look for as far as the pressure thing. I assume it's a pressure issue, but I am not sure. Long storey short, the furnace works, but the baseboards are not warming up. I have a Peerless oil burner/furnace (I don't know if there's a difference). I have 500 gallons of oil. Baseboard heaters. Hot water heat. Please help me…
Did I bleed the boiler/furnace by pressing the reset button? did I do something by pressing what I refer to as the "primer" button (the black plastic bubble button on the side of the black box (transformer?)? Did I really mess things up by letting water out? Now there is no water coming out of the two vertical pipes that I beleive are the return pipes,but I do occasionally hear a slight hissing for a few seconds. On the two vertical "return" pipes are what look like water faucets. One on each pipe, a little below each of the faucets is a green long thin handle. Should this long handle be going WITH the pipe – up and down- or against the pipe – sideways? Should the faucets be on or off? Should the faucetless handle for the water pipe that leads from the hot water heater to the furnace be on or off? I don't beleive that the oil filter needs to be bled, because I'd already gotten the furnace running. I am sure that it's some kind of pressure problem. Please be detailed in your answers. Use laymens terms. Thank you.
to Flying Dragon: Your answers so far are great. I however don't understand all of it. The water is NOT circulating the baseboards. I don't know if there is a pump for the water. I also didn't know that there would be a power supply to any valves. I'm not sure about which valves you are referring (in your 2nd paragraph). I don't know where I would find the fill valve. Is that the pipe that leads fromthe hot water heater to the furnace? It has the on/off turning handle like a garden faucet. To be clear, my system was still ON for a good 12 hours AFTEr running out of oil. I don't know if that effects anything. (I didn't realize I was that low on oil. New home owner. don't know much except for what I've looked up on internet today). The vent valves that you refer to for purging the water, is that the faucet thingy near the floor ON the furnace, &would it be the faucet thingies on the two pipes that I beleive are the RETURN pipes? (Please excuse me if my terminology is way off)
If the water in the furnace is hot, the furnace is probably OK, but the water is not circulting to the baseboards. I presume the system has some kind of pump to force the water through the system although you didn't menion it.
Since you have 2 zones and neither is getting heat, it is probably not a bad zone valve as it is unlikely that both would go bad at once. Although you might want to check that the power supply to open the valves is OK. Most of these valves have a manuel over ride to open it, if you want to try that.
If you system seems to have no pressure, it is possible that the pump is trying to run but there is not enough water in the system and the pump is just spining around in air. See if it has a manuel or automatic fill valve. If manual, open it and try letting some water in to pressurize to the normal pressure (ours is 15 psi, yours might be different). If it is an automatic fill valve, (looks like a regulator) it might be clogged with minerals or maybe there was a shut off valve in series that is turned off. If clogged, sometimes banging it with a hammer will break it free, but don't go hog-wild and bust the pipes. Some of them have a little lever on the top which is an over ride to open if not working. In conjunction with getting water into the system, you need to find the vent valves and purge out any air in the lines. (Usually, they are at the highest point in the line and there might be more than one). There is usually one at or near the furnace too. It might take a few iterations of adding water and venting to get it full.
Aslo make sure the circulating pump is getting power.
If pump has a coupling between motor and pump unit make sure it is not busted or come loose.
Added: In order for the heated water to get out of the furnace and go through the baseboards and return to the fuirnace, there needs to be a pump somewhere in the loop of pipe. Usually the pump is located in the return leg (where the water from the baseboards comes back to the furnace for re-heating. Most of the newer systems have the pump mounted right in series with the pipe ad it is usually right next to the furnace, although I suppose, in some cases, the pump might be inside the furnace cabinet. Apparantly, your furnace also heats the hot water, if you are getting hot water, the furnace and the circulator for sending furnace-heated water through the loop into the hot water storage tank are working. This pump MAY be the same pump that sends hot water through the baseboards, or there might be a second pump specifically for the baseboards. If you find the pump(s) and they seem to be working, next try to find the zone valves. these are located in series with the pipes that go out to the baseboard heaters, and will typically be withing a few feet of the furnace. These valves don't have a handle, there is a electric coil that operates them usually the top part is green. Most of the time there is a small lever somewhere on the assembly that serves as a manual over ride to open the valve. If it has one, try opening the valve and see if hot water starts going down the pipe, (it should heat up fairly quickly). The bleed valves I mentioned before are to let trapped air out of the pipe so water can get in. They are usually tiny little chrome-plated or brass valves you open with a screwdriver or small square drive "key" you can get at any hardware store. The valves are in the highest point in the system because that is where the air tends to collect. The valves may be located on or next to the baseboard units, or any where along the pipe. Sometimes there is a small cover on the baseboard unit that needs to be opened or removed to find them. If/when you find them, try cracking one open a bit (have a small container under the little hole as you might get a spray of muddy-looking water. If you hear hissing, air is coming out and water is filling the system. if you open it and nothing comes out, the system has no pressure and probably has a plugged, defective or shut-off fill valve. if water comes out the system has no air at that point. Usually, if the system has so much air in it that the pump doesn't circulate the water it will be obvious, because air will be hissing out for quite a while. If the system has pressure, eventually, you will get water out the bleed valve. You will need to check all the valves, and once the water starts circulating, you may need to drain once more because more air may have been pushed through the pipe with the floing water. If you can't get any pressure (no air or water comes out when you open the bleed valve). You will need to check the fill valve at the furnace. Usually, you will find a 1/2 inch copper pipe feeding cold water to the furnace (the baseboard pipes are usually larger like 3/4 or 1 inch). somewhere near the furnace there will either be a manuel shut off valve, or a thing that looks like a gas regulator in line with this pipe. If it is a fairly new one, look to see if there is a small lever on the top, this bypasses the regulator and lets you manually let water go through. If it has a lever lift it upwards, you should hear the sound of water going into the system, check the pressure gauge and stop at 15 psi or whatever your system is supposed to run at. Then go do the bleed valve procedure. You may have to do this several times to get all the air out of the system. Also the automatic fill valve may be plugged with minerals and would need to be fixed/replaced.
One other thing, since your hot water is produced by your furnace, your furnace may only be "on" because the hot water tank needs it, perhaps there is a problem with your house thermostat (which is a different unit than the one for the hot water tank).
I hope this helps, and does not further muddy the water!
McElroy’s Gas Guzzler Boiler