Boiler keeps going off/on, off/on....help!

I don't have an indirect water heater if that's what you mean. I think what I mistaken for a zone valve is actually a pressure release valve. This is my first boiler and first home, so please excuse my ignorance.

Here are some pics the others guys asked for. Now that I look at them, they are not great pics . Not a lot of light in that room, but I can try to take some better ones if needed.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j221/nasdaq53/boiler1.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j221/nasdaq53/boiler11.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j221/nasdaq53/boiler2.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j221/nasdaq53/boiler3.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j221/nasdaq53/boiler4.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j221/nasdaq53/boiler5.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j221/nasdaq53/boiler6.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j221/nasdaq53/boiler7.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j221/nasdaq53/boiler8.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j221/nasdaq53/boiler9.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j221/nasdaq53/boiler10.jpg

Tony, the problems is one of three things ok maybe 4

1 - the circulator is not working
2 - the aquastat is either not sensing temperature, broken or not properly adjusted
3 - the flow check valve is stuck closed
4 - You have air in the system
5 - the heat anticipator on the thermostat is burned out

However, do yourself a favor and rip that piece of crap out of the house. It's taking the money out of your wallet by the handful. On a good day it might make 75% efficiency and that was 40 years ago when it was brand new. You can probably cut your oil bill about in half with a new boiler and outdoor re-set controls.

I agree, it is a piece of crap, and I wish I could replace it but I don't have the money in my budget this year, and I have no way to fitting it in. It has to last me until next year.

About your 5 possible causes. Please keep in mind I'm a novice, if that when it comes to boilers. This is all new to me.

1 - the circulator:
Heat does get to the convectors and they do get hot, and house does get up to about 58-60 degrees, so I would think the circulator is working.

2 - the aqua stat is either not sensing temperature, broken or not properly adjusted:
I think the aquastat is working because I have it set to 180 hi/150 low.
It reaches about 190 with about 25-30 psi now, and then shuts off and started dripping water again from the safety relief valve.

3 - the flow check valve is stuck closed:
This is something I need to look into and check, but I'm not sure what I'm looking for.or how to do it.

4 - You have air in the system:
Another thing I need to try and check and try to verify. I just don't know how to go about check it or relieving it.

5 - the heat anticipator on the thermostat is burned out:
Very possibly…its and old manual Honeywell, so I wanted to swap it out anyway. I do that this weekend.

Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it. Is there any way you can give some direction on # 3 & 4??

Number 3 - That red thing that says B&G on it, yep that think, it's the flow check valve, smack it with a hammer. Yes I said smack it with a hammer. Don't get carried away but give it a good rap or two.

Air needs to be purged at the convectors but if they are getting hot you probably don't have an air problem.

Try jacking the thermostat all the way up and see if it keeps running for a longer period of time. If it does, it's a bad thermostat. You could also bug the tt wires together at the primary control to bypass the thermostat and again, if it keeps on running it's the thermostat.

I've seen worse....but it is old.

I had a similar b&g check valve on one of my old systems. I cant see the top but mine had a lever of some sorts that you can turn counter clockwise to

open the check valve...not a permanent solution but if that is your problem it will open the valve.

As to some convectors getting hot...heat rises so sometimes even if the circulator is shot the hot water will push cold water out of the rads and get them hot.

OLD gravity systems didn't have circulators and they worked.

Twisting the thermostat wires together is an easy fix to rule that out...I would not do it at the thermostat but rather short it at the boiler in case there is a problem with the wiring up to the actual thermostat on the wall.


Don't forget about Craigslist for a used boiler.
You are in CT so there are many people that sell boilers when they expand their houses or knockdown their old houses. I see them on CL all the time for cheap. I always look for gas ones but there are plenty of oil ones out there too. Sometimes free sometimes only a few hundred bucks!

Awesome info guys. I will try the recommended troubleshooting and post back with the outcome.
I never even thought of trying CL for boilers. I tried finding replacement convectors there but never thought to look for boilers, thanks!

Thanks again guys. So glad I found this forum.

TonyV53 said:

Awesome info guys. I will try the recommended troubleshooting and post back with the outcome.
I never even thought of trying CL for boilers. I tried finding replacement convectors there but never thought to look for boilers, thanks!

Thanks again guys. So glad I found this forum.

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Your gas valve could also be failing. You need to also check to see if you have voltage across the gas valve when it fails. If you do you know the gas valve needs to be replaced. If power is cut to the gas valve before it fails you know that there is a limit or safety that has tripped.

Pretty sure it isn't the gas valve,seeing as his unit is an oil burner based boiler!

Saw this on CL and thought of you.
http://newhaven.craigslist.org/for/1503547502.html

rmelo99 said:

Pretty sure it isn't the gas valve,seeing as his unit is an oil burner based boiler!

Saw this on CL and thought of you.
http://newhaven.craigslist.org/for/1503547502.html

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ROFL I forgot that small little detail! oops!

I'm a Master Oil Tech I'm Reading whats going on just adding my 2 cents

your aqua stat setting to high (This time got up to about 205 w/15 psi.) @ 30 psi and over your relief valve will let go
212 ur making steam if you have it @ 205 or 200 when your boiler hits that mark it will shut off but the temp will still go higher this will cuz banging in pipes pumps will go bad valve will leak in time normal range 160 low and 180 high def# 20 ur psi range 17-22 psi for water this will also go up when water is heated.

Replace you aqua-stat it sounds to me it not working if you can get a Hydro-stat it can read boiler water temp as well. also if you do not get ur hot water from you boiler such as Coil take the low side drop to lowest setting 120

Install a Purge set up above circ pump 3/4 x 3/4 x 1/2 c x c x f tee cant realy tell on ur pic if its 3/4 or 1 in but you get the idea
1/2 boiler drain and 3/4 ball valve. this will help with air in lines for now and later.

350.00 buck's for a Cad cell? highway Robbery
Also i didnt see a expansion tank in your pic's if you dont have one install one.
http://www.hydrolevel.com/pages/new.html

Sorry it took so long to reply. I’ve been somewhat busy with painting and other things around the house, but I have been working on my boiler problem also. Not to mention insulating all my pipes and basement windows.

Anyway, so I smacked the flow check valve a couple of times with a hammer like recommended. I even manually opened the valve as a test. No difference, so I closed it back up and assumed its working ok.

I ran into another little problem. My safety relief valve has been leaking more and more water every day. It was getting to about 4 gallons a day. The valve was old, rusty and corroded, and it didn’t have a nipple coming off it. So I replaced that this weekend thinking the valve was shot, and it was. No more leaking. I also purged all the convectors again, which all had about 20 seconds of air in them.

I also changed out the thermostat last week. Installed a Honeywell RTH6400D 5-1-1 (nice little thermostat). So I cranked the heat up to about 80 degrees. It was only about 45 degrees in the house at that time. I had the same problem. Boiler goes on for 4-5 mins, then shuts down for 4-5 mins, on and on and on. It takes about 1 hour or more just to get to 48 degrees.

I read the last post from MAoilTech about my aqua stat maybe being being bad, but I’d hate to spend $350 on an aqua stat and finding out that’s not that problem.
My settings are currently 180 hi /150 low, and as soon as its gets around 190 it shuts down like clock work, so it would appear to be working but I’m a novice so I could be totally wrong.

I’m still working on replacing the two convectors that were cracked. I’m not sure if that will really make a big difference, but I’m going to see if I can order one today or tomorrow.

I'm not sure what else to test or try so any or recommendations are welcomed, thanks.

350? for aqua-stat? I think you mis-read it the tech that came to your house charge you 350 for a cad cell? not for the aqua-stat click link

http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=hydrolevel+cut+off&show=dd&sa=N&lnk=next&start=20

Hydrolevel Company 3150

ahhhhhhhhhh

TonyV53 said:

He had replaced a part which I can't remember the name of, but it's that safety eye that looks into the boiler and shuts down if it doesn't see light within 30secs. That cost me $350..

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I am sorry, but are there no comments regarding the "easier than a lightbulb" light sensor replacement job coming in at $350!!!

fingerusarthriticus said:

I am sorry, but are there no comments regarding the "easier than a lightbulb" light sensor replacement job coming in at $350!!!

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Agreed, but that is just how some contractors are taking advantage of homeowners. I once had a problem years back with an oil boiler at one my properties that would not fire. Called out a local heating company who "correctly diagnosed" the problem as air in the single oil line. Cost me $95 for the diagnosis and he wanted $450 to run a new line set 10ft.

I paid him his $95 and sent him on his way. I called out the handyman my family has used for decades. I told him what the problem was. He saw they had used compression fittings on the copper line. He said that was a no-no. He took those off. Changed them to flare fittings. Used these little cans of compressed gas to flush the lineset, purged the air at the burner and got me running. All this on a weekend and he charged me $200. I was glad to pay him. I didn't even have to ask how much, he is pricing is not cheap but VERY fair.

He works exclusively on word of mouth and doens't take new customers. I only call him out when I am in a pinch because he knows his stuff. He's been maintaining the very old equipment at some of my apartments and keeps them running. Where most contractos would say replace it he knows how to service and maintain them so that isn't necesarry.

He does my annual service on 2 oil furnaces, nozzle, filter, oiling, vaccums out combustion chamber and never lets me down. If something needs to be replaced he does it and just tells me what I owe him.

I'm not a pro but have been keeping a few boilers in our family running for 30 some years. I just joined this forum looking for several tips when I saw this problem. Maybe I missed it, but when you are trying to determine if your pump is pumping, do you hear water flowing out of the boiler? I can usually hear the pump kick on and if I touch (carefully) the pipe flowing out it gets hot fast. You can follow the trail of heat to see how far it goes and also feel the cool water enter the pump from the return. It's hard to bleed all the air without the pump running.

I've also used jumper wires to verify the pump runs. I didn't look at all the pics but if you closed valves that hadn't been used in awhile, a gate could be broke off blocking flow. Just a couple thoughts, good luck...

rmelo99 said:

Agreed, but that is just how some contractors are taking advantage of homeowners. I once had a problem years back with an oil boiler at one my properties that would not fire. Called out a local heating company who "correctly diagnosed" the problem as air in the single oil line. Cost me $95 for the diagnosis and he wanted $450 to run a new line set 10ft.

I paid him his $95 and sent him on his way. I called out the handyman my family has used for decades. I told him what the problem was. He saw they had used compression fittings on the copper line. He said that was a no-no. He took those off. Changed them to flare fittings. Used these little cans of compressed gas to flush the lineset, purged the air at the burner and got me running. All this on a weekend and he charged me $200. I was glad to pay him. I didn't even have to ask how much, he is pricing is not cheap but VERY fair.

He works exclusively on word of mouth and doens't take new customers. I only call him out when I am in a pinch because he knows his stuff. He's been maintaining the very old equipment at some of my apartments and keeps them running. Where most contractos would say replace it he knows how to service and maintain them so that isn't necesarry.

He does my annual service on 2 oil furnaces, nozzle, filter, oiling, vaccums out combustion chamber and never lets me down. If something needs to be replaced he does it and just tells me what I owe him.

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Some have Pride in what they are doing some do not if your handyman has his oil license all good the issue with non-license oil teck's come's down to insurance this happen to a lady in the town I live in she had non-license guy install a heating unit could not pull permit with no license 3 week's later the house burn down cuz of fire with there heating unit was not properly installed the lady Insurance company did not pay her for her lost.