Looking for advice!! I just bought a house that has oil heat (forced hot water baseboards and hot water). The boiler (or furnace) is supposedly 3 years old (Burnham). Tonight I noticed some water dripping from the front left hand corner (it was a rapid drip with some steam). Once the furnace stopped heating the drip stopped. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!!
Good grief, I would call a service person, preferably one used to dealing with boilers. I used to have a house that was built in 1908, with the original boiler still in use, and it didn't leak steam or water.
supposedly 3
Greg, It may be condensation of the flue gases if the boiler water temperature is cold. Otherwise, call a repairman.
Stretch
My neighbor across the street had to replace his similar vintage Burnham last summer. Same problem; it was replaced under warranty.
bet you doug is right
Will the warranty cover me? Granted I hope any problems on a 3 year old burner are covered under warranty, but does that warranty transer (I just bought the house less than a week ago).
You bought it a week ago! Did you get a home inspection? See if the original warranty was transferable. If you are lucky enough and can find the repairman who was out and diagnosed it as an issue you have a disclosure case against the seller if your state laws mandate this, I believe all do. Yes you should call every area tech. The seller most likely knew of this condition and did not disclose it. Buyer beware comes to mind. This is why home inspectors have insurance . Do your research and get a pro out to diagnose it properly, We cant see it but very possibly it is trash.
Try to trace exactly where the water is coming from.
You may simply have an expansion safety valve that is popping open due to higher than normal pressure when the boiler is at its hottest. I suspect that may be the problem since you state that the leak stops when the boiler cools a bit. The leak isn't likely to stop at all if there is a crack in the boiler.
How high is the pressure gauge reading on the boiler when the burner is running for some time? If it's over 30 lbs, the safety valve will pop open reducing pressure. I'd check to see that your expanion tank isn't filled with water.
There are two types of expansion tanks. One has a bladder separating water from air -the other doesn't. If there isn't enough air in the tank, there isn't enough room for the water to expand as it's heated and the safety valve will blow open.
Good luck,
Doug
Anything can break, a good boiler guy will find it. He will remove the cover and get it hot to full temp and pressure. Hopefully it is just a loose pipe not tightend enough.
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