Help new yorker wf100

[jamieNB]

Hi all, I've been doing tons of reading and was lucky enough to come across this site , was hoping a few of you maybe able to help me out.

OK....

My girlfriend and I just recently purchased our first home and it came with an wood and oil fired boiler. I recently had the pipes leading to the chimney from the boiler cleaned and also cleaned the chimney. The name on the boiler is New Yorker WF100 and it says it was made in sussex, new brunswick.

The boiler doesn't seem to be properly heating out home, the wood burns very fast, and its sometimes very difficult to even get it up to operating temperature. Now to be honest we're young, I'm 22 and she's 20 and we're a little strapped for cash Xmas and all, or we'd just find some hvac technician to come check it out for us.

I really don't know any routine maintenance that I should do to the system but maybe you guys will have some ideas. I think I need a hand setting the controls on the front of the wood boiler for starters. There is also some air tanks that I don't even know what they do or why they are there. I came across i long long skinny pole that looks like a bottle cleaner on the end (maybe 4-5 ft long) I'm sure this is used to clean something lol.


On the top left corner thers a copper pipe coming out with a small valve on it where i can remove water from the system. When we first used the system it slowly drips water, after a few days a added water and im not sure if that would have messed something up, but i just wanted to make sure as i really have no idea about wood boilers. maybe i shouldnt have done that



Well its getting late here and i'm probly not making much sense So tommorrow morning i'll get some pictures up , I know a pictures worth a thousand words.

 

[taxidermist]

I know nothing about your wood boiler brand, however some things you may want to know..... the copper pipe on the top that you lift the valve on is a pressure relife valve. You did not hurt anything by opening it as long as your system replaces the water that you let out. The brush is for cleaning the heat exchanger tubes inside the boiler ( see my youtube video posting of cool boiler on here) What temps are you getting it up to? I am sure others will ask for allot more info to help you get started. Oh yeah the air tanks you were talking about are expansion tanks.

Hope this helps a little,
Rob

 

[jamieNB]

 

[jamieNB]

hey im not sure if these photos help but its a start.


-first pics are the wood boiler ( im sure u all know) and the blue rig is the oil boiler which i'd rather not. I have to pay for oil and tree's for me are free.


-the last pic is just a baseboard heater that runs off the boilers ( these baseboards are in every room of my house)

- i also took pictures of the 3 controls that are on the front of my wood boiler. The single one says "closes on" and the other 2 controls that are in the same box say "HI" and "LOW"

- i also took pics of 2 different blue tanks

- picture number 8 is where the water slowly drips out of that pipe




well i hope that helps a bit... really any info or advise would be great .... things i should to to the system to clean it that wouldnt be obvious for someone that has no clue.

 

[stee6043]

For me your pic's are not showing up, Jamie...

 

[fixmyboat]

First off find a manual for your boiler and figure out what everything is and how it's supposed to work. Second take stock of your heating situation. How many square feet, construction/insulation, BTU output of your boiler/ BTU loss of your house., distribution system type and capacity. Survey your fuel source. Species, moisture content, Fire building technique. Traditional boilers like yours (and mine) will put out plenty of heat but they tend to be wood guzzlers. So what are you putting in it, how often and how much.

good luck

 

[jamieNB]

thanks...

are the pictures showing up??

For wood im burning lots of white birch, maple and popple with a few pieces of oak

It seems like it isnt working correctly.... I can deal and bare with the long heat up time to get the boiler up temperatures, but the baseboards dont seem to be pumping out the heat.

maybe its just something simple

 

[fixmyboat]

Baseboards are designed to run at 180F. Lower temps mean lower output. Hard maple and oak are good fire wood. White birch is ok and poplar(I assume this is what you meant) is marginal. Do you have experience with woodstoves? What is your fire building method. If the boiler is drawing properly and the hot water is circulating to the baseboards the problem has to be with the fuel, the fire structure, the air intake, or the heat exchanger tubes. Clean the tubes, make sure the fire is getting enough air, make sure your fuel is dry, develop a fire building technique. Other than that get it hot and just keep shoveling in the wood on them cold days. Seriously though I'd get a manual. New Yorker is still around. http://www.newyorkerboiler.com/ Boilers can be dangerous. Make sure it is set up and operated properly and the manufacturer is your best resource for info.

 

[webbie]

Yes, the manual is at their site:
(broken link removed to http://www.newyorkerboiler.com/products/steel/coal_wood/wc)

As far as getting more heat, I think you are going to have to spend some time or money....at some point.

But some basics are as follows. The exact type of hookup and control scheme are important. Settings must be correct also, with the oil boiler usually being set at a certain temp...perhaps 25 degrees lower than the wood. In no case should the water in your system be set so it can drop below about 150 degrees, as this can cause damage to the steel boilers.

Good dry wood is very important, but so is the exact way the boiler is piped, etc. - I would suggest the use of 4-way mixing valves in many setups, which allow full time circulation on at least one many zone. This provides some storage effect.

There is a lot to learn - but it all starts here (and with the New Yorker Manual).

Welcome to the boiler room.

 

[jamieNB]

thanks fellas im gonna start reading that manual..... i'd like to add that i can get the water temperature up to 160-180 but it would take atleast 2 hours or morei would think,,,, just a guess, but the problem seems to be the registers arent putting out enough heat.

 

[flyingcow]

as posted above, understanding how the controls are working(which a heat guy can tell you, not a newbie plumber) But you need to play with it and get basic understanding of everything. i.e. weather/wood etc will effect it. This forum will help you, and hopefully the short term/cheapest. But how it's plumbed to control it is a big part of it. That may not be the cheapest, but you have your age, and ability to remember things a lot better than most of us.

 

[Blevesque]

Jamie could you post pics of the inside of the boiler, including the top half of the fire box.

 

[Bullet]

I have also just installed a new yorker wf100 . I am still trying to learn how it is supposed to work . I bought it used . Looks something like yours but is blue in colour . One problem that I am having is my oil furnace will cut in when the thermostat calls for heat . I might have the electrical hooked up wrong or the settings wrong . Mine also takes about 2 hrs to get the temperature up to 180 if it haven't been on for a few days and the water in it is cold . My birch isn't dry and that might not be helping it also . Wish I could help you out but I am still trying to learn how it works and what to do or not to do .

 

[jamieNB]

thx

i'll post some more pics when the girlfriend gets home... she must have moved my camera on me


In the meantime i'll clean up the firebox so you guys can see real good..



bullet, do u have the same baseboards in your house? do you think maybe i could have air in my lines?

in this first picture theres a gray pipe with maybe in air release at the top.. it looks like the cap off the valve of a car tire but made of steel. You can see where it comes from in the 2nd pic, would this be where i could let air out or bleed my lines?

 

[Bullet]

My home is old with cast iron baseboard type . There are air blead screws [ I guess that is what it is called ] on each cast iron baseboard heater in my home . Are those new yorker furnaces still made in New Brunswick ? Mine has a NY Thermal inc . NTI model WF100 sticker on it . I bought it used .

 

[jamieNB]

nope pretty sure they still aren't made in sussex.



well heres the picture of inside my boiler

 

[LeonMSPT]

That looks like a combination wood/oil unit, not the WC line from New Yorker. I don't know if they make such a thing anymore, but they may have a manual laying around.

Don't know anybody who has some heating experience who might be able to look it over in person and decipher it?

 

[jamieNB]

ok guys I have a small update, well I lugged another 2 cords out of the shed and th wood seems to be a bit dryer. Seems to be a lot easier to keep a nice fire going without too much tending. Its been about -26 to -30 celcius here with the windchill for the last couple days, just a bit nipply lol.


I got my pressure on my system all set and working right i think. about 10-12 when cold 25-26 when the temp is at 180 i think thats max.

Now my question is could there be lots of air in my lines from adding the water to my boiler. The first level registers seem to be working DECENT and the upstairs are working even a little less decent. How could i check to see if my registers are getting up to appropriate temperature. I think I either have a problem with air in my lines or water not circulating fast enough. I dont seem to be able to hear much noise from the pipes or registers but when i feel them with my hand I can almost feel a chugging if you know what I mean


Any input?

Thanks

 

[jamieNB]

I'd also like to add that i cant figure out why the water temperature gauge on my wood boilers shows 180. but The gauge for water pressure/ temperature gauge on the oil boiler is only showing 120-130

 

[LeonMSPT]

1. One is wrong.
2. They're "isolated". Unlikely as it is a combination unit, but possible.

 

[LeonMSPT]

Oops...

If you can put your hand on the supply side piping, "out", and almost keep it there... it's not 180 degrees. If you can't, it's probably 180 degrees.