New Smith Boiler control troubleshooting

[Rfroen]

I volunteer at a historic building that just installed a new smith steam boiler (GB300-S/W-9INT) late last spring. When the thermostat calls for heat, the boiler lights, burners run for almost exactly one minute, the boiler shuts down, there is a 10-15 second pause ... and then the boiler lights again. This cycle continues dozens of times in succession until the thermostat set temperature is finally reached. The HVAC techs who installed the system have replaced all the electronic controls more than once and it still does the same. (Warranties only cover parts replacement. The labor is mounting to nearly $1000 and it still doesn't work.) As we say in Minnesota, Uff Da!
The previous boiler just ran until the temperature reached the thermostats set point and then stopped period.
Any suggestions if the boiler controls were installed correctly in the first place or what the problem could be?
Thanks!

[Grady]

There are several reasons it could be shutting down. Without knowing that I'd be guessing. Watch the water level in the sight glass to see if it might be dropping below the low water cutoff level. Is there any kind of error code on the control?

[ZL700]

I cringe when I hear these parts changing stories. The people hurt are the customers paying labor, the distributors handling warranties on parts that are not flawed, manufacturers handling parts replacements and OEMs writing off non-defective parts..

Experience tells us low bidders tend to be parts changers.

How will they explain a loose wire nut, bad t-stat or properly functioning LWCO when an experienced tech finds the problem?

[NJ Trooper]

Around here we call them "Tinkerticians" ...

[Rfroen]

I went back to study the boiler after reading a bunch of Dan Holoran's book, The Lost Art of Steam Heating. Found a huge installation error that may be the primary problem. There are low-water cutoffs installed on both sides of the boiler - the level on the left is 1-1/2" above the bottom of the glass gauge (too high) and the level on the right hand one is actually HIGHER than the mid-point, "normal" level of the glass gauge. So as soon as the water line drops after the burners turn on, the low-water cutoff shuts the boiler down.
The boiler actually fired and shutdown 40 times in an hour to get the temp from 61 to 64 upstairs. Well, that's probably why the electronic controls "wore out" or burnt out, too.

The artificial "low water" condition also explains why the boiler flooded all the radiators when they left the automatic water feeder on (and left for the evening). We had geysers from the steam vents on every radiator in the basement. What a mess!

Any comments? Suggestions?

[Skip4661]

Call the state inspector. He'll make sure things are in order.
Reputable companies usually guarantee their work for at least 1 year.