We have had a Classic CB since 2011. It is losing water this year but can't figure out why? Suggestions? Stays full for a few weeks - then is down about 6 gallons. Not boiling either.
its got a hole in the fire box or the out side I'm going to say fire box and the heat is drying it up if you can let the fire go out for a few hours look at the sides real good you will see where the water eats the creosote and runs down
If that is the case, wouldn't it lose water consistentlY? It will go for days where rh water level remains the same and will then be down a lot of water. We will try to let the fire go out but not sure we can right now - cold here! 😊
not always it may build up with creosote and you may hit it just right when filling you can dig down in the ash to see if its wet also if you can keep it going do so till it gets bad enough to not burn there is what they call stay pins to keep the sides from warping they will be welded circles little bigger than a half dollar on the sides that's where all 3 of mine started if that's the case in the spring reline the inside with 3/16 plate if you have a metal fab shop near by you can have them bend the steel for the vary top in side I didn't do my top when I did the sides then 2 years later they started leaking they are a pita to get bent just right I made a templet about 4in long and went by that another thing you could do is put a few gal of boiler seal in there if the leak is small iv done that to get by till wormer weather some times it will work sometimes not
Thanks for the info! We don't see any water in the bottom when we take out the ash - and it doesn't seem wet. I think we will try to get through the winter and then deal with it! Thanks so much!!
how many gal of water is in your stove you said your only putting in 6gal to bring it back full I ran mine at the add mark most of one winter to stay below the hole try letting it go down some and check it then see if it goes any further I would try the boiler seal but like I said you need a few gal and its not cheap
I've seen a qt of boiler seal be enough for a small leak.
I'd also check pump flanges and fittings for drips. Sometimes a seepage can evaporate as fast as it leaks.
Sounds like you can run til spring but I'd keep a qt or two of boiler seal on hand. I think I paid around $10-15 /qt online.
I had leak on my Heatmor. The guy installed used those plastic fittings. ::) They lasted many years. I had one leaking on the back side of the line. Run my hand up and down that many many times. Finally,one day I felt the water on it. It was not much of a drip,but add it up through 2-3 days and it's alot of water.
My Cb was doing the same thing I checked all the fittings and couldn't find any leaks after about 3yrs I was repairing some rodent damage wire and found ground was wet. With no heat to dry the leak I found a clamp needed to be tighten. Tighten all clamps and no more leaks. Good luck
When my old e-classic 2300 sprung a leak, I noticed some build up in that spot on the wall, Then after bruching it away i noticed when i pushed on the wall, one little drop as if from an eye dropper would come out. I then brushed it again with a fingernail, and squirt!!...it was shooting right out. I had to put a metal screw in it to get me through the rest of the winter.
Mine has been using water at a very slow rate all winter a couple of gallons in 2 weeks or so.
I think I have to tighten some clamps as there is no evidence in the firebox
some will actually spring a leak on the outside of the water jacket under the spray foam too. Somebody posted pictures of this on here at one time.
This thread isn't TOO old so I thougt I'd post here rather than start another. My central Boiler Classic 4436 was rather suddenly 6 inches low a week ago and I refilled it, but now its 4 inches low already. I dont know how many gallons that is but its got to be more than a few. I've crawled the indoor pipes and emptied the firebox but still see no leaks.
There is only 12 feet of line that are buried from the boiler to the well pumphouse, and I see no moisture at either end. I dug a hole at the halfway point and its bone dry. Over that 12 feet the pex lines run through this stuff
(https://www.rehau.com/image/1312126/11x5/940/427/c3d1c4ba4d815471512ff6880983403e/zv/h00889.jpg)
and it runs uphill to the pumphouse, so even if it did leak that water would run back downhill and spill out under the boiler and its dry under there. I cant find anything dripping.
My temp gauge died years ago (I'm poor and havent replaced it), so its tempting to think it is just boiling over but I think I would be able to tell if that was happening. There is snow on all sides, so if hot water was coming out I think I'd notice it. I did notice last week after we got several inches that the snow toward the center of the roof, near the vent, was partly melted. But it was only partly melted, and I think it would have been completely melted if it boiled over.
I am using a weighted tin can for the vent cover because my vent cap vanished last winter, but a new one will be here Monday. But again, I can't imagine that is the problem because I went a couple months using a tin can last winter.
I'm running out of ideas here! Could it be boiling, but not boiling over, and just losing all that water via steam? Wouldn't I see steam then?
I used to be a dealer, sometimes a leak can take a year or more to find. Good luck, we never found an easy way to locate a leak.
Leaks appeared in the firebox, under the foam insulation, at fittings and in the house. Just keep an open eye on it. If you find a slight seepage in the firebox, just try a sheet metal screw, do not wire brush it until spring. Often a screw will plug it until spring. Then drain it and fix the leak.
Sometimes it is just a bad fan control, running the unit too long at time and evaporating extra away.
I have been utterly flummoxed after checking everywhere AGAIN for a possible leak. I lowered the thermostat just in case the controller was going bad, and was ready to fire it up again and hope for the best. I double checked all the pipes, looked for drips in the garage where I have valves and spigots to drain it and found nothing. I saw no water on the floor, but didn't notice or remember that I still had a short hose hooked to one spigot, which drains out under the back man door (that I rarely use) when I leave the house for part of the winter.
Well after I thawed the outside spigot so I could fill the boiler, I set the propane burner outside the man door. I had actually walked away before I realized something wasn't right, and something in a remote corner of my cranium clicked. smiley_idea I did an about-face. Right next to the burner was a small dark spot that looked like maybe it had been moist recently. Next to the dark spot was the end of the hose running from that spigot on the boiler line in the garage. smiley_idea smiley_idea I picked up the end of the hose and saw drip-drip-drip-drip-drip.
That should be the end of this problem.
Quote from: maple flats on November 18, 2018, 12:39:59 PM
I used to be a dealer, sometimes a leak can take a year or more to find. Good luck, we never found an easy way to locate a leak.
Leaks appeared in the firebox, under the foam insulation, at fittings and in the house. Just keep an open eye on it. If you find a slight seepage in the firebox, just try a sheet metal screw, do not wire brush it until spring. Often a screw will plug it until spring. Then drain it and fix the leak.
Sometimes it is just a bad fan control, running the unit too long at time and evaporating extra away.
I think I was typing while you were posting. Thats good to know though. This leak was a little too strong and steady to make it till spring without weekly refills, so I'm glad I found it now.
I had a leak,one of the big fittings was leaking on the back side. I run my hand over that many,many times. It was small enough that it was evaporating from the heat from the line. Finally it got bad enough that it could not evaporate quick enough. Hand was wet and found the leak.
Glad you found yours!!