HVAC guys help a girl out??

[JennL]

My boyfriend is convinced that he can fix this, but I want to get some real HVAC men on the job Please help me?

We bought a house in October and it has an oil hot water boiler heating system. It was serviced right before we bought the house as well. Last month we started hearing a loud clicking/tapping sound coming from the 1^st and second floor radiators. It would stop when the furnace was running, but when the water was circulating and afterwards. It would last for hours sometimes. We traced the sound down to the piping above the furnace itself. It sounds like it is coming from one of the valves or pipes.

1 - Can you tell me where the loud tapping or clicking sound is coming from? I think it might be the flow check valve. They are both a Taco 220 or something like that. He thinks it is coming from the bleeder or something. Is this bad? He says the one elbow is too close to the valve too? Has anyone heard this sound before?

2 - Will draining/refilling the system fix this?

3 – If yes, how do we drain and refill this system? We don’t have the money to hire someone.

4 – Why does it sound like someone is dumping gallons of water down our walls after the furnace is done running. It sounds like draining water but everywhere. Is that air in the lines? Is there supposed to be that much air in the lines?

Please help : ( It is so annoying to hear this at night

[hawkins111]

air in boiler system

More than likely you have air in your system. The air needs to be bled off. If there is too much air, which it sounds like there is you will need to fill the system up with water or glycol. Just looking at your pictures I see what I think is two return lines and both have a pump. It is unusual to have two pumps. It is incorrect to have the pump on the return side. The pump should be on the supply side of the system. You could find the highest bleeder and let some air out, but you will need to have someone come and pump up your system. It will be cheaper to have someone do it, than buying a pump, hoses and fitting. With no real knowledge of a boiler system you need to have someone show you how to do it and then you can make the choice of buying tools or not.

Good luck and have a great Thanksgiving,

Tom

[JennL]

Still confused

So you are saying that I need to have someone pump it up? What does that mean? Can't I just drain it or something and re-fill it? Also, why can't I find any bleeder screws on my baseboard radiators? I know where they are supposed to be, but I can't find them : ( Is that normal? Could I bleed those? Would that help? There is some sort of pressure valve thing up on top of the boiler too. Could I bleed air that way??

[hawkins111]

water boiler system

I believe I see a Bleed valve on top of the air extractor which is on top of the pressure tank. You may also have a valve in the cold water line that is supposed to keep the water pressure up. That is the brass dome looking valve in the center forward of the boiler. If that valve works and you can find a bleeder you can fill the boiler that way. The valve with the lever on top is the temperature and pressure relief valve. It will only help you bleed the boiler itself and not the radiators. There should be someone on shortly that has more knowledge of boilers than I do and they should be able to get to the bottom of your problem. Pumping up the boiler means pumping more water or glycol into your system which will remove the air at the same time. There should be bleeders through out your system, most will be high in the system to help get rid of the air.

Good luck,

Tom

[HayZee518]

boiler

there was a guy on here about a year ago that had air bleeding problems. on top of the expansion tank is a bleed valve that gets jammed and needs to be replaced. there is repair kits but most of the time the guts are rusted beyond repair. a hydrionic system runs on a mixture of glycol and water. usually at the highest point there is a valve. looks like a tire valve. there is another valve like a tire valve on the expansion tank but this one is for the air bladder inside.

[dfitz3390]

Jenn.
although someone here could possibly walk you through the process, there are too many unknowns on your particular system.
Not saying we dont know how but if you were to overfill your system you will create other problems as well. We have no idea if the temp/pressure gauge on your system is accurate or whether your bleeders are working or if the pressure/ temperature safety valve is working properly. There is a reason why the system is low on water in the first place and that should be addressed. You should be able to get a local heating person to look at it for under 100 bucks.
while the heating person is there, have them walk you through the air elimination process and fill process while they are doing it.
Wish i could do more for you but i would hate to cause a bigger problem for you attempting to repair your system via the internet.

Dan