Case of the tripped auxiliary low water cutoff

In this case, the manual reset low water cutoff kept tripping. The owner would have to push the reset button to get the boiler running. When the blowdown valve was opened for the primary low water cutoff, the feed water pump and low water cutoff worked. Under normal circumstances, the boiler water level dropped enough to trip the auxiliary low water cutoff.

[@danwiens9830]

First plant I worked at had a similar issue with the LWCO . It had just been replaced during yearly maintenance and wasn’t working. The company came back and replaced it again but it still didn’t function properly. Turns out that both times the installer left the product tag and string on the float shaft and it was getting caught up in the baffle plate. I do my own maintenance now…

[@boilerroomdetective]

Wow I would not call them back again. Good catch

[@Joop5000]

Just recently I had a job with an old Watt's 89A low water cut off. Customer called for no heat. I checked the water level and it was fine. I narrowed it down to maybe a bad low water float switch, but it turns out the float itself had broken loose and fell off it's support pin assembly. Since it is copper float I cleaned it up as best could and tried to solder it back on, but no go, it just wouldn't take.

[@boilerroomdetective]

Great detective work. Im assuming you changed it out Controls that old need a decent burial sometimes

[@Joop5000]

Not only the controls, but the whole boiler is a huge dinosaur and eventually will be changed out. He wanted to just get it running for now. I told him it is not worth putting X amount of dollars into this thing, but that's the route he took.@@boilerroomdetective