How often to clean gas-fired hydronic home heating boiler?

[fritzfield]

I moved in to an 11 yr old house 5 yrs ago. The gas-fired boiler is now 16 yrs old.

My first home had in OIL-fired hydronic heating boiler that I needed to have cleaned yearly as they changed filters and nozzles that got clogged w/ oil. My last home was a condo that had a forced hot air propane fired furnace. The Condo Association required yearly furnace cleaning for safety concerns.

I haven't had this gas-fired boiler serviced and I don't think the previous owner did either. Other than inspecting it for safety reasons, does a gas-fired hydronic boiler need to be cleaned and at what interval?

 

[Humpy]

I don't know the interval, the recommended and the actual need is probably different.

In my last house I installed a new boiler, and the fuel/air mix was not perfect at first, so it had to be cleaned before every season for a couple years. Soot would build up on the heat exchanger reducing efficiency and causing a little bit of flame roll-out on start-up.

Once it was adjusted right I didn't clean it for another five or six years. I could have waited a while longer because it wasn't even that dirty.

So IME, yes it may need to be cleaned, and if not, after 15 years is probably a good time for thorough preventive maintenance.

 

[paperfist]

Haven't ever cleaned mine and I've lived there 20 years. It was installed 20 years before that.

Well ok I vacuumed out the burners a few times when I had to replace the ignighter.

 

[NetWareHead]

16 years, I'd say you are way overdue on any boiler, no matter the fuel. A boiler has many components that need to operate sequentially in working order so it can stay running. A good service includes inspection of the circulators, controls, vent dampers, ignitors/pilots, thermocouples/flame sensors etc...

Oil needs more frequent cleanings since it is a dirtier burning fuel than gas. The oil burner has to be in proper working order to atomize the fuel properly so efficient and clean combustion can happen. The oil nozzle is subject to erosion as the pressurized oil is forced out of the tiny orifice and requires frequent replacement. Once the orifice shape changes, the fuel atomization spray pattern is affected and leads to incomplete combustion, sooting and even carbon monoxide creation. Once a year is normal.

Gas (both propane and natural gas) has the advantage it atomizes far better than oil and leads to cleaner burning equipment. That's not saying it is maintenance free. A gas boiler can still soot up and make CO in a malfunction state. The difference is that nearly all oil boilers are designed to have accessible firebox and heat transfer elements so a technician can brush and clean them. An oil boiler completely clogged and sooted up can usually be cleaned and vacuumed out. Not all gas boilers can be cleaned this way and sometimes a neglected boiler requires replacement; its too full and cant be cleaned.

I service my gas boilers every 3 years even if no issues but I also check them 2-3 times a year for any soot. I pull off the front access panel and shine a flashlight towards the burners. If there is evidence of fallen debris under the burners and the heat transfer elements are dirty, I service it sooner. I use a mirror on a wand that allows me to look up into the boiler. I also look for evidence of leaks or other trouble noises/signs.

A boiler that fails to heat can result in a frozen building and thousands of dollars of damages from split pipes. Or can develop into a CO factory and kill you. Or cause a fire. A clean boiler costs less money to run. IMO, I think its money well spent to service frequently.

 

[paperfist]

16 years, I'd say you are way overdue on any boiler, no matter the fuel. A boiler has many components that need to operate sequentially in working order so it can stay running. A good service includes inspection of the circulators, controls, vent dampers, ignitors/pilots, thermocouples/flame sensors etc...

Oil needs more frequent cleanings since it is a dirtier burning fuel than gas. The oil burner has to be in proper working order to atomize the fuel properly so efficient and clean combustion can happen. The oil nozzle is subject to erosion as the pressurized oil is forced out of the tiny orifice and requires frequent replacement. Once the orifice shape changes, the fuel atomization spray pattern is affected and leads to incomplete combustion, sooting and even carbon monoxide creation. Once a year is normal.

Gas (both propane and natural gas) has the advantage it atomizes far better than oil and leads to cleaner burning equipment. That's not saying it is maintenance free. A gas boiler can still soot up and make CO in a malfunction state. The difference is that nearly all oil boilers are designed to have accessible firebox and heat transfer elements so a technician can brush and clean them. An oil boiler completely clogged and sooted up can usually be cleaned and vacuumed out. Not all gas boilers can be cleaned this way and sometimes a neglected boiler requires replacement; its too full and cant be cleaned.

I service my gas boilers every 3 years even if no issues but I also check them 2-3 times a year for any soot. I pull off the front access panel and shine a flashlight towards the burners. If there is evidence of fallen debris under the burners and the heat transfer elements are dirty, I service it sooner. I use a mirror on a wand that allows me to look up into the boiler. I also look for evidence of leaks or other trouble noises/signs.

A boiler that fails to heat can result in a frozen building and thousands of dollars of damages from split pipes. Or can develop into a CO factory and kill you. Or cause a fire. A clean boiler costs less money to run. IMO, I think its money well spent to service frequently.

What type of boiler do you have? I just got one of those wall hung units that cost as much as a good used car. lol I'm thinking of hooking up a water filter system on it.

 

[fritzfield]

Weil-McLain CGi - natural GAS- fired home heating boiler. Stands on the floor. Not wall-mounted. Does NOT produce domestic hot water - just heats water that goes through closed-loop copper pipes w/ fins along the base board throughout the house - common heating scheme in the Northeast USA.

 

[NetWareHead]

What type of boiler do you have? I just got one of those wall hung units that cost as much as a good used car. lol I'm thinking of hooking up a water filter system on it.

Just cast iron 80+ efficiency units, nothing high efficiency or condensing which are entirely different animals. I have a few burnhams, weil-mclain, biasi units