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 Dictionary of Heating Boiler Components - Boiler Parts Guide
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InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.
Dictionary of heating boiler terms: here we explain how to identify & name all of the parts & components of Hot Water Heating Boilers and hot water heating systems including oil burners and their parts, boiler parts, hot water baseboard and its parts, hot water radiators, and hot water convector units and their parts and controls.
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A List & Dictionary of Oil Fired Heating Boiler Parts & Components
 Each simple definition includes links to detailed articles discussing how to identify, inspect, diagnose, and repair each component of the heating system.
This website answers most questions about central hot water heating system troubleshooting, inspection, diagnosis, and repairs. We describe how to inspect, troubleshoot and repair heating and air conditioning systems to inform home owners, buyers, and home inspectors of common heating system defects.
Below we list and describe the parts and controls on heating boilers. Also see BOILER CONTROLS & SWITCHES for a description of the key heating boiler operating controls and switches. If your building uses steam heat see STEAM HEATING SYSTEMS. If your building uses warm air heat see FURNACE CONTROLS & SWITCHES.
The articles at this website describe the basic components of a home heating system,
how to find the rated heating capacity of an heating system by examining various data tags and components, how to recognize common heating system operating or safety defects, and how to save money on home heating costs. Contact us to suggest text changes and additions and, if you wish, to receive online listing and credit for that contribution.
- Heating Boiler - an enclosed steel or cast iron container that uses an energy source to heat water (or make steam) that is sent through heat radiating devices in the occupied space to heat a building. Hydronic heating boilers use hot water to distribute heat through piping and baseboards or radiators. Steam heating boilers produce steam to distribute heat through one pipe or two pipe steam heat systems and steam heat radiators. Some heating systems use a hydronic boiler to heat water that is circulated thorough a heating coil inserted in the plenum of a warm air furnace heating system, using a water-to-air heating method.
- Air bleeders and air purge devices to vent out un-wanted air from hydronic (hot water) heating systems. Air in heating distribution piping, boilers, radiators, can prevent hot water circulation and thus stop heat from being delivered to the occupied space.
- Air Scoops Purgers Separators - automatic air purging devices referred to as air scoops, air purgers, or air separators vary in internal design, but all are intended to capture air in hot water piping, sending it either to an expansion tank or to an air bleeder/air vent.
- Automatic water feeder to provide makeup water in the system; note that different water feeder valves are used on a hydronic heating boiler (hot water circulates) than on a steam boiler (steam circulates)
- Baseboards - electric or hot water heat radiating devices transmit heat from hot water or steam into the occupied space; Leak stains, repairs indicating history of freeze-ups? Also see BASEBOARD, CONVECTOR, RADIATOR TYPES
COLD HOT WATER BASEBOARD / RADIATOR and UNEVEN HEAT DIAGNOSIS as well as LEAKS at BASEBOARD, CONVECTOR, RADIATOR
- Boiler flue vent connector "stack pipe" or "flue" see Flue Vent Connectors - Boilers, Furnaces and barometric damper - also see Chimneys
- Chimney and chimney flue - the flue vent connector sends gases into the chimney whose job is to vent these combustion products safely outdoors, above the building.
- Circulator pumps which force hot water through heating baseboards, radiators, or convector units
- Combination control - combining High Limit and "Low Limit" (which may or may not be in use depending on presence of a tankless coil)
- Draft hoods assure proper exhaust gas venting on gas-fired heating boilers
- Electric switch turning the heating system electrical power on and off
- Expansion Tank to absorb initial system pressure increase
- Flame sensing device: Cad Cell or Stack Relay(watch for sensitive relays and learn about the re-stepping lever)
- High Limit and Low Limit (if tankless coil) separate controls on older equipment
- Low water cutoff control, a safety device used on steam boilers and some hydronic heating systems to shut down the heating boiler if its water is lost.
- Mixing valve to temper outgoing domestic hot water from a tankless coil or to control radiant floor heat temperature
- Oil Burner & oil burner parts: oil pump (fuel unit), blower, nozzle, electrodes, transformer, electric motor, air shutter, oil delay valve
- Oil Burner reset switch & oil burner motor reset switch (these are two separate controls); a reset switch may be on the cad cell relay or on the stack relay of the oil burner as well as a reset switch on the oil burner electric motor
- Oil tank, oil piping, oil valves, oil gauges
- Oil Burner Controls, aquastat: high limit, low limit, circulator controls, cad cell relay, other flame sensors
- Piping on heating systems: Hot water (or steam) distribution piping and on steam systems, condensate return piping
- Piping valves on heating systems: Hot water distribution piping drain and balancing valves
- Pressure Relief Valve safety device prevents boiler explosions by releasing temperature and pressure if other safety controls fail
- Pressure and Temperature gauge -12 psi cold, less than 30 psi hot. Over 30 psi dumps relief valve.(Typical operating temperature
settings LO-120-160 HI-180-200 degF. Typical operating temperature observed at the gauge will be below the high, and can be as low as
nighttime room temperature in non-heating season if no tankless coil is in use. The temperature/pressure gauge may help in checking for
normal conditions before and during boiler operation. However the gauge can be wrong!)
- Radiators - hot water or steam. Steam: observe steam valves on each radiator and identify one pipe vs two-pipe distribution system. radiating devices transmit heat from hot water or steam into the occupied space; Leak stains, repairs indicating history of freeze-ups? Hot water radiators and baseboards may have a manually-operated air bleeder valve. Each steam radiator has a steam vent to permit steam to rise into the radiator.
- Sight glass: a glass tube used on steam boilers to give a visible indication of the boiler's water level
- Spill switches are used to sense flue gas spillage at gas-fired equipment at the combustion gas exhaust venting systems and will turn off the heating appliance if gas spillage is detected.
- Tankless coil or a side-arm coil or other alternative ways of making domestic hot water using the heating boiler; tips about leaks, missing mixing/tempering valve, relief valve (some jurisdictions). Risk of scalding water at the house sinks/tubs if there is no mixing valve.
- Zone Valves which control hot water circulation through multiple heating zones
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
 The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
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- Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, have provided us with (and we recommend) Carson Dunlop Weldon & Associates' Technical Reference Guide to manufacturer's model and serial number information for heating and cooling equipment
Special Offer: Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Technical Reference Guide purchased as a single order. Just enter INSPECTATRG in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
- Domestic and Commercial Oil Burners, Charles H. Burkhardt, McGraw Hill Book Company, New York 3rd Ed 1969.
- National Fuel Gas Code (Z223.1) $16.00 and National Fuel Gas Code Handbook (Z223.2) $47.00 American Gas Association (A.G.A.), 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209 also available from National Fire Protection Association, Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02269. Fundamentals of Gas Appliance Venting and Ventilation, 1985, American Gas Association Laboratories, Engineering Services Department. American Gas Association, 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209. Catalog #XHO585. Reprinted 1989.
- The Steam Book, 1984, Training and Education Department, Fluid Handling Division, ITT [probably out of print, possibly available from several home inspection supply companies] Fuel Oil and Oil Heat Magazine, October 1990, offers an update,
- Principles of Steam Heating, $13.25 includes postage. Fuel oil & Oil Heat Magazine, 389 Passaic Ave., Fairfield, NJ 07004.
- The Lost Art of Steam Heating, Dan Holohan, 516-579-3046 FAX
- Principles of Steam Heating, Dan Holohan, technical editor of Fuel Oil and Oil Heat magazine, 389 Passaic Ave., Fairfield, NJ 07004 ($12.+1.25 postage/handling).
- "Residential Steam Heating Systems", Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
- "Residential Hydronic (circulating hot water) Heating Systems", Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
- "Warm Air Heating Systems". Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
- Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Volume I, Heating Fundamentals,
- Boilers, Boiler Conversions, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23389-4 (v. 1) Volume II, Oil, Gas, and Coal Burners, Controls, Ducts, Piping, Valves, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23390-7 (v. 2) Volume III, Radiant Heating, Water Heaters, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Heat Pumps, Air Cleaners, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23383-5 (v. 3) or ISBN 0-672-23380-0 (set) Special Sales Director, Macmillan Publishing Co., 866 Third Ave., New York, NY 10022. Macmillan Publishing Co., NY
- Installation Guide for Residential Hydronic Heating Systems
- Installation Guide #200, The Hydronics Institute, 35 Russo Place, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922
- The ABC's of Retention Head Oil Burners, National Association of Oil Heat Service Managers, TM 115, National Old Timers' Association of the Energy Industry, PO Box 168, Mineola, NY 11501. (Excellent tips on spotting problems on oil-fired heating equipment. Booklet.)
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