Wayne J
Member
I see signs of water leaking on to the floor beneath my boiler. What am I in for? It's nearly 30 years old and has been trouble free until now.
Raypak problem
- Thread starter Wayne J
- Start date
Stuart
Member
Are you able to see water inside the boiler too? There can be a handful of reasons.
Manifold leak, manifold seal leaking, a plug in the manifold header worn out, flow switch leak.
There may need to be more investigating to be done.
Manifold leak, manifold seal leaking, a plug in the manifold header worn out, flow switch leak.
There may need to be more investigating to be done.
6t7gto
Member
I have a Raypak and had a leak in the coil/heat exchanger. Took it apart, put a pressure test on it and soldered up the leak.
David
David
Wayne J
Member
Is there a way to remove the sheet metal covers without having to remove the draft hood first? Thanks
soapy
Senior Member
Best thing to do is remove the draft hood. Then you can look right down onto the heat exchanger and see what it could be. I had one leaking and had 2 different boiler companies quote me 3,000+ to fix it. I can buy a brand new one from Dultmeier for that. I took the hood off and found all is was is the seals on one of the manifolds. Parts only cost $19 for all of them.
Stuart
Member
Not really, the way the flues are installed makes it really difficult.
I cut a 2" section out of the flue about 6"above the hood so I can remove the draft hood and work down to the boiler. When I put the boiler and hood back together there was a 2" section of the flue gone.
I went to a sheet metal shop and had them fabricate a "band" to go around the flue. It is about10 inches wide and will go around the flue and attaches to itself. (imagine a biga$$ hose clamp that will go around the flue and cover where I cut out the 2" section).
Hope this helps
Wayne J
Member
What is the best tool for cutting the flue? Saber/jig saw?
Stuart
Member
I've used a jigsaw & sawzall. Both work good and very noisy. Put the band on the flue and mark around flue then lower the band 2 or 3 inches and mark. Remove band and cut.
cwguy.com
The Eric
Now why do you have to remove the hood to check these items? Only if you know it is on the manifold itself? Shouldn't you be able to remove the sides and check the manifold for leaks?
http://cwguy.com/?p=6633
I checked under mine...... I confirmed it was rusty! LOL
cwguy.com
The Eric
Correct.... But in theory with mine you wouldn't have to touch the flue? You could just undo the sheet metal screws. Same with my Dad's newer version.
Well at least I didn't remove mine until after removing the boiler. I just pushed the flue to the side.
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Stuart
Member
The sides have the firewalls in them. They can only be removed from the top in one piece. Do not get the white fire wall brick wet too much. They will fall apart if too much water gets soaked up.
The first picture looks good as I see it. If you back light under the manifold and look thru from the top you will see how dirty or clean it is. Should be able to see well thru the fins. To go even further the "box" has some anchoring screws. Remove the box and you will expose the manifold ends. Watch for insulation or "fire rope" which the box sits on. It is easy to remove box and not see these if included. I also noticed the plumbing in the first picture has some galvanized attached to some copper. The 2 different metals cause electrolysis. This can also cause problems from plumbing deteriorating. The threads start to go first usually. Very un-noticeable.
The second picture show where your leak might be coming from. Since there is soo much rust the boiler may have settled a bit and put some tension on plumbing. If you can determine if the leak is the boiler (depending on what part leaks) I would think about a replacement. If it is plumbing or an easy fix on boiler I think the boiler could be saved as long as the base still has some structure.
Any replacement equipment or new equipment I install will be placed on brick or block. Unfortunately my washes had equipment installed on the floor. If it has any type of flat bottom it will hold water and cause leaks or premature equipment failure. I just recently placed a holding tank on about 10 brick. The bottom of the tank is like a round dish which will hold water so I cut some drain holes in the bottom so it will not hold water. -Sorry for the novel-
These are my thoughts, hope it helps.
cwguy.com
The Eric
That was a good assessment Stuart.... the unit pictured does not leak. The problem was either the circulating pump or it wouldn't spark (I can't remember)? Plus I have a couple smaller boilers and a couple tankless hot water heaters I was thinking of installing. The pictures were actually posted as an example for the op.
Here is a picture of what Stuart is describing though.
Stuart
Member
good picture cwguy.com. The fire brick looks in good condition. Wish mine looked like this- I put too much water on them before I knew what I was doing. Learn by mistakes-a lot of them.
When at this point, or the burners also slide out from the side, take a wire brush to the burners to clean the openings as seen in picture. Make sure the orifices or holes in each burner is clear and round. They can get some buildup on them. Then with air blow out the burner of debris. Be sure to wear eyewear and a good dust mask when cleaning the burners or the fins on the tubing assy. I also have a shop-vac turned on and a fan on low to keep the dust down and away from me.
If sliding the burners out from the side take your time and do not force things. There may be a reason the assy won't move. Again lessons learned.
When at this point, or the burners also slide out from the side, take a wire brush to the burners to clean the openings as seen in picture. Make sure the orifices or holes in each burner is clear and round. They can get some buildup on them. Then with air blow out the burner of debris. Be sure to wear eyewear and a good dust mask when cleaning the burners or the fins on the tubing assy. I also have a shop-vac turned on and a fan on low to keep the dust down and away from me.
If sliding the burners out from the side take your time and do not force things. There may be a reason the assy won't move. Again lessons learned.
Wayne J
Member
I'm not looking forward to this.
