31
VIII: MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE INSTRUCTIONS
A.
WATER BOILERS:
1.
Filling of boiler and system.
GENERAL
—
In a hot water heating system, the
boiler and entire system (other than the expansion
tank) must be full of water for satisfactory
operation. Water should be added to the system until
the boiler pressure gauge registers 12 psi. To insure
that the system is full, water should come out of all
air vents when opened.
2. BOILING OUT OF BOILER AND SYSTEM
.
The
oil and grease which accumulate in a new hot water
boiler can be washed out in the following manner:
a. Ideally, shut off valves have been installed
between the boiler return manifold and the rest
of the system, to minimize the amount of system
draining.
b. Drain the boiler to a level below the relief valve
tapping.
DANGER
Assure that the boiler is at zero pressure before
removing the relief valve. Open the safety valve
to relieve all internal pressure prior to proceeding.
Safety valve discharge piping must be piped such
that the potential for burns is eliminated.
c. Remove relief valve using extreme care to avoid
damaging it.
d. Add an appropriate amount of recommended boil
out compound.
e. Replace relief valve.
f. Fill the entire system with water.
g. Start firing the boiler.
h. Circulate the water through the entire system.
i. Vent the system, including the radiation.
j. Allow boiler water to reach operating
temperature, if possible.
k. Continue to circulate the water for a few hours.
l. Stop firing the boiler.
m. Drain the system in a manner and to a location
that hot water can be discharged with safety.
n. Remove plugs from all available returns and
wash the water side of the boiler as thoroughly
as possible, using a high-pressure water stream.
o. Refill the system with fresh water.
3. Add appropriate boiler water treatment compounds
as recommended by your qualified water treatment
company.
4. Make pH or Alkalinity Test.
After boiler and system have been cleaned and
refilled as previously described, test the pH of
the water in the system. This can easily be done
by drawing a small sample of boiler water and
testing with hydrion paper which is used in the
same manner as litmus paper, except it gives
specific readings. A color chart on the side of the
small hydrion dispenser gives the reading pH.
Hydrion paper is inexpensive and obtainable from
any chemical supply house or through your local
druggist. The pH should be higher than 7 but lower
than 11. Add some of the washout chemical (caustic
soda), if necessary, to bring the pH within the
specified range. With this lower level of protection,
care must be exercised to eliminate all of the free
oxygen in the system.
5. Boiler is now ready to be put into service.
B.
EXCESSIVE MAKE-UP WATER
A leaky system will increase the volume of make-up
water supplied to the boiler, which can significantly
shorten the life of the boiler. Entrained in make-up
water are dissolved minerals, salts and oxygen. When
the fresh, cool make-up water is heated in the boiler,
the minerals fall out as sediment, the salts coat the
inside of the boiler, and the oxygen escapes as a gas.
The accumulation of sediment eventually isolates the
water from contacting the steel. When this happens
the steel in that area gets extremely hot and eventually
cracks. The presence of free oxygen or chloride salts
in the boiler creates a corrosive atmosphere which, if
the concentration becomes high enough, can corrode
the steel through from the inside. More make-up water
and higher concentrations of contaminants damage
the boiler sooner.
Our warranty does not cover
corrosion and sediment-related damage.
Clearly
it is in everyone’s best interest to prevent this type of
failure. You can do your part by ensuring that your
system is leak-free, keeping leakage to less than 2
percent of the boiler water volume each month. Refer
to Chart below.
IMPORTANT
IF, DURING NORMAL OPERATION, IT IS
NECESSARY TO ADD MORE WATER THAN
INDICATED BELOW, CONSULT A QUALIFIED
SERVICE TECHNICIAN TO CHECK YOUR SYSTEM
FOR LEAKS.
Model No.
Gallons Per
Month
Gallons Per
Year
V13A RO/FO
0.27
3.2
V14A RO/FO
0.32
3.8
