Repair · West Hempstead, NY · June 2026

Steam Boiler Water Feeder Repair in West Hempstead

A steam boiler's auto-feed signaled but wouldn't fill. We inspected the control and replaced the corroded feeder valve.

BeforeAfter

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Before: Before: the old automatic water feeder. Its valve body on the copper make-up line is corroded and crusted green.
After: With the cover off: the new brass feeder valve body, with the manual-feed control mounted on it.

Photos are lightly enhanced for clarity. The work shown is as installed or serviced.

The problem

The automatic water feeder on this home's natural-gas steam boiler had stopped working. Its signal was coming on, but no water was reaching the boiler, even after dirty water had been drained out of the system. A steam boiler loses some water as it makes steam, and the automatic feeder is what tops it back up. When the feeder fails, the boiler can run short of water. That is hard on the equipment and can leave the house without heat.

Our solution

Our technician started by opening up the feeder's 24-volt control and inspecting its control board. The old feeder's valve body on the copper make-up water line was corroded and crusted green. The failed feeder came out, and a new brass feeder valve assembly went in at the same spot, with the feed control and its manual-feed button and feed indicator mounted on it. The threaded connections were sealed with thread sealant.

The result

When the repair was done, the boiler's gas burners were lit and firing. Where the corroded feeder valve used to sit, the make-up water line now has a clean new brass one, with the manual-feed control mounted on it.

Serviced

Williamson GSA-150N-S natural-gas low-pressure steam boiler, 150,000 Btu/hr input (repaired)
McDonnell & Miller Uni-Match Universal Waterfeeder with 24VAC control (the feeder that had stopped feeding)
New brass automatic water feeder valve assembly on the copper make-up water line (installed)

Highlights

Diagnosed an automatic water feeder that signaled but wouldn't feed water into a gas-fired steam boiler
Opened up and inspected the feeder's 24-volt control board
Replaced the corroded, green-crusted feeder valve with a new brass feeder valve assembly
Mounted the manual-feed control and feed indicator on the new valve
Sealed the threaded connections on the copper make-up line
Finished with the Williamson steam boiler's burners lit and firing

Scope of work

01Diagnosed the automatic water feeder on a natural-gas steam boiler
02Inspected the feeder's 24-volt control board
03Removed the failed, corroded feeder valve from the boiler's copper make-up water line
04Installed a new brass automatic water feeder valve assembly in the same location
05Mounted the feed control, with its manual-feed button and feed indicator, on the new valve
06Sealed the threaded connections with thread sealant
07Confirmed the boiler's burners lit and fired after the repair

More photos from the job

The job: a Williamson GSA-150N-S gas-fired, low-pressure steam boiler in West Hempstead. Its automatic water feeder had stopped feeding.
After: the new feeder in place on the boiler's make-up water line, with its control cover on.
Finished: the boiler's gas burners lit and firing after the repair.