2009 e classic 2300

[pondmanager2]

I have a 2009 E Classic that seems to be losing water. I added 30 gallons of water November 1st before I started it for the season and I checked the water level this morning January 8th and it appears to be down another 30 gallons after two months of use.  No apparent leaks that I can see.  It runs well.  The temperature stays below 186 so I don't think it's evaporating.  Any thoughts on why or where I might be losing water?  Thank you in advance.

[doctorb]

I, too have a 2009 e-Classic.  Never had to add water until this past week.  Before you start ripping things apart  ;), look closely at your in-basement connections.  I found a leaking valve that needed attention.  I am interested, how did you know ahead of time how much water you needed to refill the stove?

[pondmanager2]

I filled it with 5 gallon water bottles because my hose doesn't reach the boiler.  I did notice today that my boiler cap was not on properly. Which has me wondering if I lost water from evaporation out of the top? 

[Gearbox]

My crown Royal only uses about 10 gal in 12 months . It has no cap at all . I would look for a leak . 30 gal in 2 month is going to be a small leak . Good luck hope you can find it . Any joints in the pex underground ?

[bobby s]

As far as I know, the top cap should never be tight. It should sit loosely over the fill spout.

I thought my 2300 was boiling over and losing water at the beginning of the season. Then I realized somebody bumped the fresh water fill valve that's  in my garage. It was adding about 4 gallons of water for a few days before I realized what was going on. :-\

[thecfarm]

I had a real small leak on the back side of my furnace. Everytime I ran my hand down the pipe either the water had evaporated from the heat of the pipe or it was not leaking. And of course it was on the back side of the pipe too. That took a while to find. Another fitting and I was all set.

[doctorb]

With regards to filling the OWB......Do you have a hose valve on your OWB lines in your basement?  If you do then you can attach a hose from your domestic water line to the OWB and fill from there.  Saves the time with the bucket and the ladder.  If you want to try this I have two suggestions.

1.  You need to make a hose of the necessary length that has a female adapter on each end.  The standard garden hose will not work.  Another option: You could also purchase a male to female adapter to work on any hose.

2.  It is very difficult to know how much water you are adding when you are standing in your basement and the OWB is 300 feet away.  One time, I overfilled mine and had to drain a bit off to correct the water level.  So if you fill your OWB from the basement, you need a second person to give you a holler when it's full, or you need to periodically turn off the water and check the OWB level before continuing.

Hope you find the leak.  The question as to whether you have any junctions in your pex underground is a good one.  After checking the OWB and the basement, that's the most likely place to look for some damp ground.

[JJ]

Hi DocB,

I tee in a fill valve on my cold water return line in my basement.  For safety with domestic water, I also added check valve to stop any chance of siphon back into drinking line.
When I fill owb, I close valves at the stove, open the fill valve in house, and then go out to owb and open cold water return until boiler is filled.  No need for second person.

          JJ

[r.man]

Hey Doc, the hose you described is a washing machine hose, two female ends but of limited length. I like the double valve safety rather than having the domestic water piped in with one valve. If I was really worried about accidental backflow I would remove one end of the hose after filling but for me having two valves as well as the house water being high pressure compared to the boiler is enough safeties.

[pondmanager2]

I appreciate all the input and I'll look for a leak when things dry up around here.  Many thanks.

[woodmills1]

I fill mine through the vent with a hose until it overflows.  The fire is out when I do this.

[doctorb]

Nobody said I was smart, JJ.    : :D   Thanks,  will do that next time.

[LittleJohn]

I had a real small leak on the back side of my furnace. Everytime I ran my hand down the pipe either the water had evaporated from the heat of the pipe or it was not leaking. And of course it was on the back side of the pipe too. That took a while to find. Another fitting and I was all set.

...typically you have to look for the mineral build up, not the leak; when going after small leaks in a radiant system.  Do to the heat from the system cooking away the water, but leaving the minerals.