It also has an Ultra Control Mode; this means that the control module answers to the signals from the thermostat, water supply, return water sensors and the flue gas sensor. Almost all of the sensors in the Ultra 2 Series answer and respond to the Ultra Control Mode. Everything is kept neatly in this package.The boiler transformer installed in the Ultra Series 2 is designed to decrease the amount of electrical voltage used in the line. It has a range of 120 vac to 24 vac. The 24 vac controls the gas valve and the blower signal. The front door of the boiler is designed to be sealed to the boiler assembly around the whole boiler. Some other boilers are designed partially around the boiler.
The Ultra 2 Series Boiler has a P/T temperature sensor that is installed on the pressure temperature gauge and can be installed into the outlet water pipe. Some other standard features on the Ultra Series 2 are the Boiler Drain Valve, the Data Port, the Air Intake Adapter and the Venturi, which is designed to act as a vacuum when the air comes through the venturi. This device is used to help with the quality of the airflow.
When you are working with the operation of the boiler, there are just some things that you should know. You should not block the flow of combustion or any ventilation to the boiler. The heat exchanger is constructed with aluminum and needs the pH system should always read between 7.0 and 8.5. The water chemistry should always be checked when the boiler is serviced.There are easy to read electronic display buttons on the Ultra 2 Series Boiler. The display has a 4 number display, you can access the heating temperature setting, you can see the outlet water temp and all other operating conditions, you can see the boiler status and the shutdown and any lock out codes which makes troubleshooting problems easy. When you have someone install these boilers, you will need to know that the clearance for hot water pipes is ½” from all combustible materials. For the vent pipe the clearance has to be at least 0.20″. You should have 12″ of maximum ceiling enclosure and a 12″ maximum above the floor enclosure. By ensuring the proper clearances you can look forward to a stress free installation.
I had an Ultra 230 installed in Nov 2003. It shut down repeatedly in Winter. Fortunately I was home when it happened so I could re-start it before the pipes in the house froze. The heat exchanger started leaking 5 years and 2 months after installation. That was right after the first part of the warranty expired. Weil McLain paid for the heat exchanger but I had to pay for the labor. I doubt this boiler will last 20 years. Weil McLain customer service is terrible.
I have a new Weil Mclain Ultra 230. Installed 1 year 3 months ago. Last winter was a disaster. Every couple of hours the unit would shut down with an e-02 message. Unit was only 4 months old when this started in late november december. Contractor was unable to find problem, said he had contacted WM and they didn’t know what was going on. I called WM myself and spoke to a tech, who said it was the ignitor. So I told contractor. It took him a week and a half to get a new ignitor from WM’s supplier. Which seemed to work. Problem solved? Not so fast.
Here I am almost exactly a year later and the same error code is happening. Only this time I can hear what sounds like a waching machine going on in the exaust vent. We have been having problem a week now. Contractor has replaced ignitor yesterday. But its too warm here to tell if it worked.
Last time it was 3 weeks in the winter with us not knowing if the house would freeze up. Now a year later we are having the same exact problem with a week of problems thus far.
Is there something I am missing here. Or is this POS product named Ultra because it’s Ultra Unreliable?
Is anyone out there having similar problems…any assistance with diagnosis wopuld be appreciated
Stuart,
The noise you hear in the exhaust vent is most likely caused from condensation that is trapped within the vent piping somewhere. I am guessing your vent piping runs horizontally for a distance. It either continues horizontally and exits or at some point rises vertically. Here are a couple of things to look for. If it runs horizontally only – is it supported properly and graded back to the boiler? It can grade on towards the termination if it doesn’t at any point rise vertically. But grading towards the termination will create an ice feature at the exit point. If there are any sags in the piping the condensation will accumulate here restricting the exhausting procedure. If at any point it rises vertically, make sure the vent is properly graded back to the boiler. All of the condensation will be exited through the boiler condensation piping. It sounds as though this is where your problem lies. The restriction within your flue piping is causing the boiler not to ignite, causing it to lock out after five attempts. Hopefully your flue piping is exposed where you can check it out and make the necessary adjustments. If not you will definitely need to expose it to verify its grade.
Good Luck, Kirk
Our Ultra has run for 5 seasons with a couple lockouts that were due to outside circumstances (a dead circulator, power outage, etc.), except for once when the ignitor was dirty. Then recently (2 months after the 5 year warranty), the blower assembly malfunctioned. But, in general, the boiler has run pretty well – including two winters of unattended operation while we were living overseas.
As others have said, installation is key – and an installer that is not cautious or experienced with the Ultra’s can make dozens of small mistakes.
As to your specific problems – it seems strange to me that you’d have ignitor problems after only one year. From what I’ve heard and learned, 3-5 years is more typical. My contractor actually encouraged me to order a spare on-line, where they are much, much less expensive (about 50%) and faster than going through the contractor/distributor. Of course, then the part itself is not warrantied by the contractor.
Your blower noise sounds a bit strange; did you take the cover off and look at the blower assembly? Look for any signs of condensation dripping down on to the blower housing from the vent lines above. This is, in my opinion, a design flaw in the Ultra’s. Proper install should keep any condensation from entering the enclosure, but if it does, the blower is susceptible to damage. We recently lost a blower, but we’re not sure if condensation was the cause or not – others have reported it. When the blower is running, you should be able to feel a pretty strong suction on the horn-shaped black intake piece. It really shouldn’t be very noisy – so I wonder if the noise is coming from the blower itself or from the exhaust/intake vent PVC lines? Kirk’s suggestion abotu condensation trapped in these lines sounds interesting.
Dave
You can find the Weil Mclain Ultra Addendum Interface Kit PDF
in our WeT HeaD PDF Document Library as well
Weil Mclain Ultra Addendum Interface Kit PDF
http://pdf.wetheadmedia.com/weil-mclain-ultra-addendum-interface-kit-pdf
Hope this helps!
I have a Mcclain ultra. The boiler seems to short cycle, can not hold a temperature, and displays an error 37 code. Where do I go to crack these codes? I also would like to know some beginning parimeters to set the boiler temps just as goog starting point and can adjust from there.
Thanks, Jim
My Ultra 150 is 5 years old and has been nothing but problems, expensive problems. Recently it has started giving me a E – 18 error code. Everyday I have to reset the control. Can’t trust it’s operation, which means someone has to check it twice daily. Thinking about starting a class action because I am not alone and Weil Mc Clain ignors calls for help. If your looking to conserve energy, it’s great doesn’t cost a thing when in error mode. If your looking to empty your wallet Weil Mc Clain has a bridge for you.
Fed up and cold
Charlie