Furnace leak ?

[bigdog]

Went to down to cellar and noticed a small puddle around furnace. Enough water to wipe-up with a sponge, maybe a 1/2 -3/4 cup water. Doesn't seem to be coming from any pipes but under furnace ?
Just had serviced 2 months ago and all was good.

Furnace has never leaked before but it is 19 yrs old the fuse has been set!
Typical Beckette/Burnham setup. Contractor grade when house was built 19 yrs ago.

Thoughts??? Hoping this is not serious, but if the boiler is cracked, could be a replacement and with Christmas a month away not the greatest time, at least this didn't happen in the middle of Jan or Feb.

Just as a side note, I'm in process of selling house this Spring, and pushed this out from last summer. Note to self, never hesitate a decision, it may come around to bite you !

[ITD]

Originally Posted by bigdog

Went to down to cellar and noticed a small puddle around furnace. Enough water to wipe-up with a sponge, maybe a 1/2 -3/4 cup water. Doesn't seem to be coming from any pipes but under furnace ?
Just had serviced 2 months ago and all was good.

Furnace has never leaked before but it is 19 yrs old the fuse has been set!
Typical Beckette/Burnham setup. Contractor grade when house was built 19 yrs ago.

Thoughts??? Hoping this is not serious, but if the boiler is cracked, could be a replacement and with Christmas a month away not the greatest time, at least this didn't happen in the middle of Jan or Feb.

Just as a side note, I'm in process of selling house this Spring, and pushed this out from last summer. Note to self, never hesitate a decision, it may come around to bite you !

Sounds like a boiler, is the water coming from the pressure valve, usually there is an open ended pipe attached to these valves. If that is the case, then the fix is relatively cheap. On the other hand, Burnham is notorious for cracked castings. I had two one covered by warranty the second I cut my losses and bought a different boiler. Even the warranty was expensive as they don't pay labor. Sorry for your problems.

[TheProfessor]

Sounds like a boiler and not a furnace.

If it continues then time for a service call.

[Barney Bear]

Had our home hot air furnace serviced this fall. After the service call, a leak was discovered. The service man came back to secure a hose connection that was loosened during the previous visit. No charge, of course, for the return visit.

[swnoel]

Originally Posted by ITD

Sounds like a boiler, is the water coming from the T+P valve, usually there is an open ended pipe attached to these valves. If that is the case, then the fix is relatively cheap. On the other hand, Burnham is notorious for cracked castings. I had two one covered by warranty the second I cut my losses and bought a different boiler. Even the warranty was expensive as they don't pay labor. Sorry for your problems.




http://f.tqn.com/y/homerepair/1/W/F/5/-/-/T_P_Valve.jpg

Really... that's a relief valve for a domestic water tank NOT a boiler! There IS a difference!

[ITD]

Originally Posted by swnoel

Really... that's a relief valve for a domestic water tank NOT a boiler! There IS a difference!

Your right, I messed it up. It's a pressure relief valve, I was confusing the btu rating of the boiler valve with T and P valve, which would have too high a pressure value for most boilers. Sorry.

[Biggd]

I had the same issue with my boiler of similar age. Spent $800 on repairs and had other problems soon after. I threw away $800, should have just replaced it to begin with. My new boiler is so much more efficient also. And since it's a second home the peace of mind of not having problems is priceless. Boilers will last more than 20 years but they aren't nearly as efficient as the newer units.

[nhcatrider]

I just replaced a boiler in a house I bought last summer. The boiler was so old it had a Shell Oil service sticker on it. Had the chimney cleaned at the same time and a huge amount of carbon and soot was removed. The installer figured the previous owner had been running diesel in it all winter last year. The new furnace will pay for itself in about 5 years, less if oil spikes high again. If it's leaking, replace it. It's not worth the hassle of multiple repairs.

[bigdog]

Furnace leak was a false alarm.... Whew... Dodged that bullet.
Thought at first, I had a cracked boiler liner.

Sort of jumped to a conclusion, without first diagnosing the underlying issue.

Where you see water leaking, it's not necessarily that source.
The water was leaking from gasket on a Circulating valve, dropping down on the motor, running underneath, the onto the floor. Hence, I thought was coming from the boiler itself, not so !

Had HVAC service tech replace two 'football shaped' gaskets, on valve flanges,
and that did the trick.

However, after reviewing the entire system it was determined the expansion tank above furnace had no air. This was causing my pipes to gurgle and bubble sounds I've been hearing. Must have had a leak in expansion bladder ?

Also had to replace a release valve about expansion tank, and also a faucet valve on back of boiler.

Hour and half of labor, plus parts under $200

Case closed for the time being......

[ITD]

Originally Posted by bigdog

Furnace leak was a false alarm.... Whew... Dodged that bullet.
Thought at first, I had a cracked boiler liner.

Sort of jumped to a conclusion, without first diagnosing the underlying issue.

Where you see water leaking, it's not necessarily that source.
The water was leaking from gasket on a Circulating valve, dropping down on the motor, running underneath, the onto the floor. Hence, I thought was coming from the boiler itself, not so !

Had HVAC service tech replace two 'football shaped' gaskets, on valve flanges,
and that did the trick.

However, after reviewing the entire system it was determined the expansion tank above furnace had no air. This was causing my pipes to gurgle and bubble sounds I've been hearing. Must have had a leak in expansion bladder ?

Also had to replace a release valve about expansion tank, and also a faucet valve on back of boiler.

Hour and half of labor, plus parts under $200

Case closed for the time being......

That's good news, the bladders in those tanks do go, money well spent.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by bigdog

Furnace leak was a false alarm.... Whew... Dodged that bullet.
Thought at first, I had a cracked boiler liner.

Sort of jumped to a conclusion, without first diagnosing the underlying issue.

Where you see water leaking, it's not necessarily that source.
The water was leaking from gasket on a Circulating valve, dropping down on the motor, running underneath, the onto the floor. Hence, I thought was coming from the boiler itself, not so !

Had HVAC service tech replace two 'football shaped' gaskets, on valve flanges,
and that did the trick.

However, after reviewing the entire system it was determined the expansion tank above furnace had no air. This was causing my pipes to gurgle and bubble sounds I've been hearing. Must have had a leak in expansion bladder ?

Also had to replace a release valve about expansion tank, and also a faucet valve on back of boiler.

Hour and half of labor, plus parts under $200

Case closed for the time being......

That's a fair price. Who did you use?

[noreast]

Originally Posted by bigdog

Furnace leak was a false alarm.... Whew... Dodged that bullet.
Thought at first, I had a cracked boiler liner.

Sort of jumped to a conclusion, without first diagnosing the underlying issue.

Where you see water leaking, it's not necessarily that source.
The water was leaking from gasket on a Circulating valve, dropping down on the motor, running underneath, the onto the floor. Hence, I thought was coming from the boiler itself, not so !

Had HVAC service tech replace two 'football shaped' gaskets, on valve flanges,
and that did the trick.

However, after reviewing the entire system it was determined the expansion tank above furnace had no air. This was causing my pipes to gurgle and bubble sounds I've been hearing. Must have had a leak in expansion bladder ?

Also had to replace a release valve about expansion tank, and also a faucet valve on back of boiler.

Hour and half of labor, plus parts under $200

Case closed for the time being......

That's usually the problem. Good for you!

[bigdog]

Biggd,

Work was performed at my other house in Mass. !

Bigdog

[SIKSUKR]

FWIW, I had a relief valve that kept purging on my Becket boiler. I assumed the automatic water feed was bad because I could watch the pressure on the boiler go past the normal 12-15 lbs. I replaced and had the same issue. I have a tankless coil in the boiler and it turned out that the coil had a hole and the pressure from my domestic water supply (50 lbs) was leaking into the boiler water and raising it. Lesson learned. BTW..easily replaced by myself.

[swnoel]

Originally Posted by ITD

It's a T and P valve, no difference except maybe the size and shape by manufacturer or application, it's still a t and p valve, really. Here's a hint, hot water heater heats water, a boiler.......... heats water. The T and P valve prevents over pressurization from runaway heat or other malfunction.

That is NOT for a boiler... again that is for a domestic hot water tank!!! Please do not offer information that is wrong! I've been doing this for decades and this kind of misinformation can cause damage and bodily harm!

[ITD]

Originally Posted by swnoel

That is NOT for a boiler... again that is for a domestic hot water tank!!! Please do not offer information that is wrong! I've been doing this for decades and this kind of misinformation can cause damage and bodily harm!

You're right, I messed it up and doubled down, fixed it now.