EFM DF520 pressure @ 30? Newbie

A friendly plumber was kind enough to start our EFM coal boiler today (we hadn't started it before - just moved here and not familiar with coal boilers). The pressure increased to 30 and I shut it all down. The pressure relief valve didn't release any water. Suggestions on what to do next? This is a dual system - currently using propane for the baseboard systems. We're southerners and used to kerosene or good old-fashioned wood heat.

Welcome.

Look at the gauge closely and make sure it says 30 psi and not 30 ft of water.

Welcome.

A nice close-up picture of the gauge would help figure it out...

Whats the pressure on the propane boiler?

OH BOY;

Your going to have fun/not going to have fun now as you have eliminate all the possibilities with regard to the high pressure in your system.

It could be any number of things or a combination of them-in my case it was 3 year old domestic hot water coil leaking into the boiler water.
Are you comfortable doing this work? A coal stoker is a world apart from a coal start boiler whether its gas or oil.

My first suggestion would be to determine whether the system has both a steel compression tank and an amtrol bladder tank and automatic air vents as the automatic air vents will release all the air blanket in the system compression tank and you will not be able to circulate the hot water very well of at all to move heat through the system.

A pair of heating systems cannot share 2 types of air control systems(unless one of them is valved off and shut off ) as the circulator(s) will be unable to push the hot water properly without a point of no pressure change which
must only be used by one steel compression tank or a bladder tank for both systems.

If you can upload a few pictures if you have a smart phone we can help.

I will suggest to you to order a couple of well written paperback books about heating when you have the time.

Classic hydronics is the first paper back book and Pumping Away is the second one.

You can order them directly from the author at www.dansbooks.com and all the profits go to the author and he ships them from his home place.

Hubby is supposedly looking at the propane gauge-no problems from it in the past 6 weeks.

paleotn2 wrote: ↑

Tue. Jan. 08, 2019 6:32 pm

0C0FE18F-1493-4948-A0FD-3C282720311D.jpegHubby is supposedly looking at the propane gauge-no problems from it in the past 6 weeks.

Can you get a pic straight on so we can see the top numbers?

This is after it’s cooled off some

What does your system have for an expansion tank?

Supposedly, according to hubby, both the propane and the coal boilers use a bladder tank.

Are the valves between the boiler and the system open? If it is locked up, it's going to build pressure.