Boiler modusnap gas valve replacement

[Daveee123]

Hello , i have an old boiler and its turning itself off every night , the pilot goes off also , it has a baso switch that's been replaced and a new heavier
thermocouple, it worked last year, it only shut off a few times. It has the three separate gas pressure reducer then a gas valve with the wires going to it
and then the modusnap gas valve , i want to just replace the modusnap gas valve but its not made any more i dont think. I could get a combination
valve deal but i dont know how to wire it all up , so i dont want to mess with that stuff if i dont have too. any advice , I dont see anything helpful on you tube.

DAve Warren , MIchigan

 

[Martins]

Hello , i have an old boiler and its turning itself off every night , the pilot goes off also , it has a baso switch that's been replaced and a new heavier
thermocouple, it worked last year, it only shut off a few times. It has the three separate gas pressure reducer then a gas valve with the wires going to it
and then the modusnap gas valve , i want to just replace the modusnap gas valve but its not made any more i dont think. I could get a combination
valve deal but i dont know how to wire it all up , so i dont want to mess with that stuff if i dont have too. any advice , I dont see anything helpful on you tube.

DAve Warren , MIchigan

Hey Dave! From MI myself not too far from ya! Burton wash in Clio.

is your boiler over heating and shutting itself down tripping the secondary temp breakers or is it getting wind back flow? I have a pretty old set up as well. (Floor heat im assuming?) mine has 2 flow pumps. One i wired to run all the time so when the bolier shut off the fluid wouldn't just sit idle and cause the temp to rise past my set point for the trip breaker.

 

[Daveee123]

Hi , ;yes floor heat , to heat the bays concrete in winter. Yes my pump runs all the time to circulate the antifreeze , and it does have a device that if the coolant level is low it wont fire , or if its not circulating it wont fire , that all seems to work fine. I replaced the baso switch years ago and it will hold the pilot , just when i come in in the morning its all off , no pilot , cold.

 

[MEP001]

Hi , ;yes floor heat , to heat the bays concrete in winter. Yes my pump runs all the time to circulate the antifreeze , and it does have a device that if the coolant level is low it wont fire , or if its not circulating it wont fire , that all seems to work fine. I replaced the baso switch years ago and it will hold the pilot , just when i come in in the morning its all off , no pilot , cold.

You might look into converting it to an electric ignite instead of standing pilot.

 

[Rudy]

Recently, my Raypak 399k BTU floor heat boiler wouldn't fire. It turned out that the Baso pilot light solenoid coil failed. No pilot....no floor heat. That little $100 part had me shut down due to no floor heat.

I've been able (for close to 30 years), to avoid any "revenue halting" breakdowns like this. My spares inventory has always enabled me to cobble something together to stay open...at least until proper parts could be obtained.

Here's my question.

What is the reliability of the MAIN gas valve on RayPak boilers?

I do not have a spare, and it's close to $1000 to buy one (1" modulating).

Maybe it's one of those cases where you roll the dice. Huron Valley stocks them....but we all know that when something like this breaks, it occurs on the holiday just before the sunny weekend.

 

[mjwalsh]

Recently, my Raypak 399k BTU floor heat boiler wouldn't fire. It turned out that the Baso pilot light solenoid coil failed. No pilot....no floor heat. That little $100 part had me shut down due to no floor heat.

I've been able (for close to 30 years), to avoid any "revenue halting" breakdowns like this. My spares inventory has always enabled me to cobble something together to stay open...at least until proper parts could be obtained.

Here's my question.

What is the reliability of the MAIN gas valve on RayPak boilers?

I do not have a spare, and it's close to $1000 to buy one (1" modulating).

Maybe it's one of those cases where you roll the dice. Huron Valley stocks them....but we all know that when something like this breaks, it occurs on the holiday just before the sunny weekend.

Rudy, Dave & others,

Wow ... $1K for brand new ... probably limited warranty??? We had a 399K 1980 Modulating Raypak that was dormant for the last 25 years. I have it in safe storage. The valve was functioning perfect. I have done PayPal with other members of the forum in the past. Something to consider. The flow switch & copper heat exchanger I plan on using on other equipment ... not so much the entire fancy modulating gas valve assembly though. Some other members of this Forum may also possibly have a "good bet" known in perfect working order Modulating Raypak 399K Gas Valve Setup that they also would be willing safely pack up for shipping to sell at a fair price beside me though!

Our back yard has a large garden. I envision using the large copper heat exchanger coil with the working blower off of my old very recently replaced home furnace & run our icy cold northern Missouri River city irrigating tap water through that first as a better than a swamp cooler or house air conditioner during our sometimes very hot & dry summers.

 

[Daveee123]

Hello , thx for reading my post , can you post a picture of the valve assembly for me on here...? Seems steep so much 1 k for a part.

Dave

 

[mjwalsh]

Hello , thx for reading my post , can you post a picture of the valve assembly for me on here...? Seems steep so much 1 k for a part.

Dave &/or possibly someone else,

Dave &/or possibly someone else,

It also has a reliable manual spark "flint" ignitor mounted that is behind a shadow on the lower left of the 2nd pic below.

Below are the pics of both the 399K label & gas valve components setup:

399KbtuReadableLabel.jpg

drive.google.com

GasValveComponents.jpg

drive.google.com

Mike Walsh Zip Code 58501
Email is on www.kingkoin.com website.

 

[Rudy]

Mike, I like your setup better than mine. I have a Robertshaw valve. You have a Honeywell. Your pressure regulator, on off valve, and Mod valve are all seperate. Mine are all built into one. That's probably why the valve is so expensive.

 

[mjwalsh]

Mike, I like your setup better than mine. I have a Robertshaw valve. You have a Honeywell. Your pressure regulator, on off valve, and Mod valve are all seperate. Mine are all built into one. That's probably why the valve is so expensive.

Rudy & others,

As my pics somewhat (pristine preserved condition) show & I can honestly say it was functioning 100% when taken off of service. Back in 1991 we transitioned into using stainless steel Spirec Heat Exchangers getting the timely needed BTUs from our laundromat's step fired modular boilers ... so after that the Raypak for the most part was not activated at all leaving it in like 10 year old pristine condition. By timely ... at night the laundromat does not need the domestic water heat. So for over 25 years the BTUs from that specific modular boiler system were & are 100% freed up for our three car wash Trane Glycol (higher temps) Units & all deicer & actual floor heat (higher temps) in the dog wash plus some baseboard-radiator in our laundromat & other back rooms.

The Honeywell modulating gas valve from Raypak did make that system more efficient than most but not quite as efficient as our 90+ efficient condensating modular PULSE BOILER system. The big trade off plus for having the Hydronic Raypak Modulating System ... there was much less needed long term maintenance than the condensating setup! Herm Deal Huron Valley Detroit Area was stellar to work with when it came to purchasing that specific Raypak System.

 

[MEP001]

Mike, I like your setup better than mine. I have a Robertshaw valve. You have a Honeywell. Your pressure regulator, on off valve, and Mod valve are all seperate. Mine are all built into one. That's probably why the valve is so expensive.

Also his is a standing pilot while yours is electronic start.

 

[mjwalsh]

Also his is a standing pilot while yours is electronic start.

When the easily relit with the small lever operated "spark creating apparatus" for the heating season standing pilot was operating ... I can't help but think that the BTUs from the seasonal "standing pilot" was earning its keep by helping a weee bit warming the Raypak's copper & the equipment room.

 

[MEP001]

When the easily relit with the small lever operated "spark creating apparatus" for the heating season standing pilot was operating ... I can't help but think that the BTUs from the seasonal "standing pilot" was earning its keep by helping a weee bit warming the Raypak's copper & the equipment room.

Go read the original post and then tell me how your comment helps him.

 

[Rudy]

BTW....the thin 1/4 line, is the pilot gas line. It comes out of a small pressure regulator, and terminates in the silver solenoid at the far right side of the picture. This "pilot" solenoid is what recently failed. Without this $100 part.....the boiler will NOT run. There's no way around it. The ignition sequence starts with the electronic spark, followed by the opening of this pilot valve. No pilot, NO main valve sequencing.

I wish I'd have known, and I would've stocked a spare. (Even getting a used one on eBay would have gotten me through the holiday....).