We Spoke Too Soon (Or Why Does Our Boiler Hate Us?)

That is our boiler: a Raypak Raytherm (R) Atmospheric Residential Boiler. As Raypak's web site says:

Quit struggling with bulky, heavy, out-of-date cast iron boilers. Raytherm copper fin tube residential boilers are low-mass and have high recovery rates. They’re small enough to fit almost any space and fuel-efficient for utility savings. With five sizes to choose from, there is a copper fin tube Residential for every home, apartment or condominium.

Seems like a nice little machine, doesn't it? According to the specs, it has two firing modes, and our's is the 2-stage firing mode. Meaning that there is a two-stage valve system that restricts the gas flow so we don't waste any. That restriction in the 2nd stage can be eased if we crank the temperature, but for the most part the first stage of the valve allows enough gas through, making the boiler super efficient.

Unless that valve breaks, which, of course, is what is happening to ours. Well, it isn't breaking, but, rather dying.

Adding the new thermocouple the other day seemed to hasten the death. We turned on the heat yesterday, only to hear a loud, constant, buzzing. Like a kitchen buzzer on an old stove going off, all the time that the boiler is on, and getting louder with each successive turn-on. Now, the boiler is still heating, so we do have that going for us. It is just protesting extremely loudly every time it kicks on. Poor Kelly, her ear drums were bleeding by the time we figured out was going on.

The valve, of course, has to be special ordered. And did I mention that it costs $802? *cough, cough*. It has been ordered and in one or two days it will be installed and once again we can heat the place without the head-splitting buzzing noise. It is the least we can do for our lovely tenant.