Gas and Oil Home Heating Furnaces - HELP! Water pouring out of radiator valve

I have water pouring out of my radiator valve -- like an open faucet. What gives? This happened over the weekend and we were not at home. I noticed that the water level in the boiler was high and drained it down to 1/3. I've done this 3 times since last night. Once the water is drained, the boiler starts up, warms the house and then the water fills up again. Just when the floor and basement wall was drying up, the radiator started to leak again. The valve where the water is pouring out of is not the one that goes into the floor, it's the release valve on the side. Can you tell me what might be happening and why?And what I can do about it? Thanks a bunch. Lillian:(

Either the automatic water feeder to the boiler is leaking through (not stopping the inflow of city water when the water level is correct) or else the bypass valve around the water feeder is leaking through.

The end result is that your boiler and steam pipes are being filled with water and the excess water is being forced out of the air vent on the radiator.

The boiler has a high/low water cut off switch that prevents the burner from operation if the water level is too high or too low.

Did you not previously post a problem with water level in the boiler being too high and you found that draining water to a 1/2 glass was necessary to operate the system?

Thanks for your response. No, that wasn't me. I actually read that one before posting my problem hoping that it would help me. Sounded like the same problem, but wasn't. I don't know if it's the high/low water cut-off that isn't working or the valve on the water pipe that feeds the boiler. So now what do I do? Is this something that I can do myself or do I need a plumber or heating serviceman? And... if I have to replace the automatic cut-off piece, is it expensive? Looks expensive. Also, water is leaking from the bottom of the glass tube and from the hot water pipe above the boiler. What a mess! Thanks for your help.

The High/Low water cut off device only operates electrical switches that prevent the burner from operating when the water level is too high or too low. Since the boiler was NOT firing when the water level was high I know that at least the high water cut off switch is working.

Your problem is as I previously stated. Not knowing the exact way that your boiler is piped I cannot give detailed instructions.

As for whether you can fix it yourself depends on what tools you own and how handy you are. I can't answer that question. :)

Is the water feeder expensive? It kind of depends on what you consider expensive. It will be cheaper than a new boiler. It has been a long time since I priced something like this but about $100. twenty years ago so I suspect that it is higher now. Some feeders have a low-water cut off built into them.

Perhaps you could take a picture or two and host them on a photo hosting site with a link from here.

If the boiler has a "tankless coil" which makes your domestic hot water, it could be leaking into the boiler.

If the boiler has a "tankless coil" which makes your domestic hot water, it could be leaking into the boiler.

Good call, Grady. I thoroughly despise tankless coils so I rarely think of them as causing problems. :rolleyes:

I don't like them either & on a steamer, they can really drive you nuts. Been there, done that.

LOL, I am the person who posted the other question referred to upthread, and I am back again after googling for an answer to my new problem :wall:

Although everything appears to be functioning properly since that night, I am still concerned because we are having to release excess water much more often than in the past. The water level in the glass pipe rises to the top every week, whereas in the past we only had to release it around every three weeks.

On that night, I made sure that all the various valves were tightened (like when you are shutting off a water faucet to make sure it doesn't drip). They are not over-tightened - I can still turn them by hand - but they are all snug. Could that be a mistake? Is any one, or more, supposed to be only half-tightened or something?

Again I am sorry for not knowing the correct terminology. I wish I had some kind of operation manual for this thing so I wouldn't always be worrying that I'm about to blow the house up because I don't know how to regulate the boiler properly.

Many thanks for any help you can offer.

Close all water valves tight. Do you get your domestic hot water from the boiler?