Posted by Harold Kestenholz - Hydronic Network on August 22, 2000 at 14:39:14:
In Reply to: steam heat bleeding/seasonal maintenance posted by Bob Swan on August 22, 2000 at 10:14:43:
The advantage of a residential steam system is that there are so few parts that need repair. The water in the boiler becomes dirty from condensate water flushing the dirt back to the boiler by gravity. So the boiler water needs to be flushed from the system til it runs clear and refilled with fresh water to about 2/3 of the sight guage glass (once per week if possible).
The few valves that permit the flushing should be able to be turned easily (or people won't do the flushing.) So replacing a tight or semi-clogged boiler drain is easily done and disassembling and cleaning the low-water cutoff is not a hard job. If the parts are all good and easy-turning, then most of what it needs is a scraping of the mud away and new gaskets.
If this is unfamiliar to you, a visit once per year from a reliable, knowledgeable plumber is a good insurance policy.