He Paid Extra For The Porsche! Boiler Tune-Up & Dangerous Furnace Fail

Limited edition Mikey Pipes 2025 Version 2.0 poster – #119 heading out the door!
“If you ain’t testing, you’re guessing.” Printed by Hatch Show Print in Nashville, TN – only 150 numbered copies exist.

💯 100% of proceeds go to Mikey Pipes Philanthropy, our 501(c)(3) providing free plumbing, heating & cooling services to those who can’t afford a true professional. We haven’t collected a penny from any recipient – this is how we give back.

🇺🇸 Poster Details
Price: $42.50 delivered anywhere in the United States
Outside the U.S.? Please add at least $25 to cover international shipping in a mailing tube.

🔧 TODAY’S DOUBLE FEATURE – TWO REAL HEATING SERVICE CALLS
Call #1 – Upstate NY: Utica Boiler Tune-Up + Dripping Relief Valve

A long-time client with a second home upstate tells me I’m only allowed to come if I bring the Porsche… then texts me he’ll throw in another $100 if I drive with the top down. So Derek and I take a 2-hour ride for a full boiler service and a live training session on hydronic heating.

On site we find:

Utica 125,000 BTU gas-fired hot water boiler
Two heating zones
30 PSI relief valve dripping into a bucket
Old-school ceiling-mounted expansion tank with a Bell & Gossett Drain Tank DT2
Combustion numbers that are “okay” but can be improved

You’ll see me quiz Derek on:
Intermittent pilot ignition control module
Electronic ignition gas valve vs standing pilot
Switching relays & circulators
Expansion tank purpose and how it absorbs pressure
Why a relief valve drips when the expansion tank stops doing its job

Then we:
Pull and wire-brush all three burner tubes
Vacuum the combustion chamber
Clean and wipe down the boiler & piping with WD-40
Drain several gallons from the ceiling expansion tank using the B&G drain tank valve
Perform a combustion analysis before and after cleaning
Check incoming & manifold gas pressure and properly adjust the gas valve to ~3.5" WC (DO NOT DIY unless you’re qualified)

This Utica isn’t new – likely late 80s/early 90s – but we dial it in so it runs like a champ and the system operates safely within spec.

🔥 Call #2 – Queens (Little Neck): Wrongly Vented Furnace & Pressure Switch Fault

On the way back to Long Island we stop at an existing client’s family home in Queens. They’ve been told the furnace install was wrong, and they’re worried the parents got bamboozled.

What we find:

Gas furnace (2015) with B-vent run out a side wall instead of up through the roof
Condensation damage and rust on the vent showing water is dripping back
Furnace will start, then shut down with a 3-flash error code (pressure switch fault)
AC works because the blower runs, but the heating side is no bueno

We go through:
Proper start-up and troubleshooting of the furnace
Why horizontal B-vent termination on a side wall is a big problem
How improper venting and condensate can cause pressure switch issues & unsafe operation
The correct way to re-vent the furnace using PVC and existing chases
Why this system is basically a candidate for a full replacement / proper re-install

📲 HOUSECALL PRO – STOP USING PAPER & PEN

If you’re still writing invoices on paper, it’s almost 2026. We use HouseCall Pro for dispatching, invoicing, and payments. It’s the CRM I trust to run Pipe Doctor day-to-day.
Tell them Mikey Pipes sent you and they’ll take care of you.

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Consider grabbing a limited edition poster – you get awesome wall art, and someone in need gets heat, hot water, or AC

If you ain’t testing, you’re guessing.

Suggested Chapters (Timestamps Approximate – Adjust As Needed)

0:00 Poster #119, Hatch Show Print & Mikey Pipes Philanthropy
2:10 Client bribes me to bring the Porsche (top-down bonus 💸)
4:00 Arriving upstate – Utica boiler first look
6:45 Quizzing Derek: gas valve, ignition control & components
10:40 Why the 30 PSI relief valve is dripping
13:30 Explaining expansion tanks & system pressure
16:00 Pulling & cleaning the Utica burner tubes
19:30 Vacuuming the combustion chamber
21:45 Lubing & wiping down the boiler with WD-40
24:10 Bell & Gossett ceiling drain tank – old-school expansion tank
27:10 Draining gallons from the expansion tank to stop the drip
30:00 Combustion test – pre-clean numbers
32:00 Checking inlet gas pressure & manifold pressure
34:30 Gas valve adjustment to 3.5" WC (DO NOT DIY)
37:20 Post-tune combustion results & age of the boiler
39:30 HouseCall Pro talk & age of the home
41:00 Heading back toward Queens – double feature day
41:40 Arriving in Little Neck – meeting the homeowner
43:00 Inspecting the furnace & sidewall B-vent termination
44:20 Furnace starts then quits – error code 3 (pressure switch fault)
45:40 Condensate damage, vent problems & diagnosis
46:40 Why this furnace needs proper re-venting / replacement & outro

#MikeyPipes #BoilerRepair #FurnaceRepair

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