First Time in 4 Years, Running on Backup System

You know what they say.... there is always one!!!

Fact is the boiler at 54 is still younger than I am by 3 yrs. Wreck your car or it breaks down you still need to depend on someone else to tow,replace,or whatever & of course do it in less than 1 week. Yes I did forget that home owners insurance would cover frozen pipes,so that problem is already backed up,glad that someone thought of that. BRAVO !! Now did anyone notice the wired notification system line ?Nope,everyone read right past it. There are home security systems that will notify the owner,the police or other emergency responders that there is a problem. Why not have a system that would notify a co-operating HVAC or plumbing outfit with guaranteed response time ? We live in an age of every thing being wired electronically, seems even most people are "wired" with an ear piece as their constant companion. A system like this would require far less space,less time to set-up & implement,less $$ to have a sure fire back up plan or "insurance if you will. This is food for thought , it need not be mistaken as sarcasm or it can be ,it is a free country after all .Of course there will always be 1 who will take it out of context,there always is. It depends on who gets the point.

Cheap backup for me is a oil boiler picked from the dump and welded back together, not terribly effiecient but it'll work if I ever need it. Oil tank is the same, homemade, don't know where it came from, don't know how much oil is in the tank but there is oil...I've looked into setting up a system that will notify me if something goes wrong. I don't have a landline (and I'm not going to get one) so that immediately makes it more difficult but not impossible. To get notified via wifi is more expensive but could use home internet and make it happen. BUT when I leave home with my cell phone the home internet leaves with me. Now you're talking big bucks to get a system setup to notify you something is wrong....on a sunday...when the only efm dealer is closed...where do you get parts...what do you do while your pipes freeze...when it's -30 and the wind is blowing they will freeze in a matter of hours in my house....if my car breaks down ill take a cab home and sleep in a warm bed and worry about that tomorrow. it won't be any more broke than when I left it

I like the idea of a backup especially when it comes to protecting my home and my family. I don't have to hope it can be fixed tonight or tomorrow, I have a plan

Your base heater looks like a good plan to me .

It is:-) but it's not enough to keep the cellar or second story pipes from freezing in this drafty old house.

A hand-fed stove is a great source of backup heat, the only requirement is that someone is there to fire it up and/or tend it. Regardless, I didn't start this thread to defend why my oil boiler is still hooked up. The goal was to figure out why the aquastat on my EFM quit working. Tonight I cleaned the sensor that goes into the aquastat well and verified that all connections were tight...no change. After dinner the aquastat well is coming out.

Wouldn't what you have done verify that the aquastat has failed ? Is it easier to break into your boilers system than to try another aquastat ? No sarcasm ,just asking .

This aquastat uses a unique well, it is called an "electro-well"

http://www.hydrolevel.com/new/index.php?option=co ... Itemid=132

According to the manual if this well gets dirty on the boiler water side it can mess things up. If I can verify that is the case at least I know the $130 aquastat is still good.

Rob
if you find "crud" to be the issue
Dump in a can of R6 Barrs stop leak per estimated 10 to 25 gallon of system capacity your milage may vary depends on your comfort level and the system water "darkness" lol
yes - I know you don't need the stop leak but the water pump lube is nice
more important - its a cheep scrub material that will keep that well and your impellors slick and clean

it will also - very slightly - encapsulate the suspended crud and you can wash that out of the mud legs next summer

Kind Regards
Sting

windyhill4.2 wrote:Wouldn't what you have done verify that the aquastat has failed ? Is it easier to break into your boilers system than to try another aquastat ? No sarcasm ,just asking .

It is easier. Can be checked faster than another aquastat could be wired. Draw down pressure and do on fly. Verifies condition of outside of well also.

I will check the cabinets in the shop, but I think I only have the "tablets" of Bar's Leaks.

Thanks for the suggestion, makes sense to me.

Looks like the problem was indeed some "stuff" on the water side of the well. Everything is clean, and running good.

Instructions say to clean every 5 years, I made it 47 months. I do not think I will install this style well in any other boilers. The average person will never clean the well as instructed.

If the directions would have said every 4-5 years, you would have been following the schedule..........

Rob, what was the total time to draw down, clean, and reinstall ?? Just curious..

Rick

Since my boiler was already cold, I just depressurized it and quickly removed the well and screwed a plug into the hole. Cleaned, then swapped again. 30 minutes?

Now I am just enjoying a cold beer and waiting for the boiler to come up to temp.

Even had time to give the covers a wipe down.