Columbia CT-10, Installation, Operation And Maintenance Manual, Page: 42 / 56

COLUMBIA BOILER COMPANY, REV 2-17
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TROUBLE SHOOTING
The first step in trouble shooting is to have a qualified service technician, with the required
instruments and expertise, diagnose your system and attempt to fix the problem. Please
adhere to the Service Policy at the beginning of this manual.
Surging or bouncing water level
Surging or bouncing water levels are caused by boiler water which has a high concentra-
tion of solids or oils. It is recommended that the frequency of blowdown be increased until
the surging condition is corrected. Extreme cases may require the boiler to be boiled out
following the previously outlined procedures. A water treatment specialist should be con-
sulted immediately.
Pump runs but does not put water in the boiler.
Check that the feedwater piping is not clogged between pump and boiler. Insure that all
of the steam traps in the system and the check valves between the pump and boiler are
working properly. Many times, steam in the impeller area of a pump will cause cavitation
and damage.
Refer to pump manufacturer for instructions.
Boiler flooded in the morning.
When the boiler is shut off and the steam in the system condenses, a vacuum is created.
On tight or new systems there may be no way for air to enter the system to eliminate the
vacuum. When this happens, water is drawn through the return system into the boiler. This
will also cause flooding of the return tank.
The replacement of a swing type check valve and manual valve on the boiler with the direc-
tion of flow into the boiler, will eliminate this problem. It is recommended that the manual
valve be closed during normal operation so that a failure of the check valve will not result
in steam being released into the boiler room.
Fan motor runs but burner does not light.
The air switch has not proved an air flow. Check for continuity across the terminals of the
air switch and replace the air switch if it is defective.
If a S8600 Series control is used, try resetting the control. If the S8600 Series control loses
the pilot signal, the control will “lock out” until it reset, and the fan will continue to run.