rusty water on new Wel McClain Steam Boiler

Unknown

The boiler will always be dirty and get into a hissing fit if you keep calling it a furance.... Since the return pipings may be old and the new boiler will bring it back.. So u'll have to keep skimmming and flush out the cruds... Dirty water not means it bad as long there's no oil and ph is netural

Ron Wassel

rusty water at bottom half of sight glass

I got a new Wel McClaine Steam Boiler in Sept. and I finally got it to a point where it is working pretty well thanks to all you folks. Thanks! I've covered all the pipes and got rid of almost all of the banging pipes and I drained all the water out and put new water in and everything seems fine, of course even though it's December we haven't had much cold weather here in the Northeast. One question I have that I'm sure someone out there knows is about the rusty water I have at the bottom half of the sight glass. The top half is crystal clear and the furnace is running great. I'm just trying to keep on top of things. I've had someone tell me that Wel McClain doesn't treat the inside of their boilers and the rust will always be there. Does anyone know if this is true and if it will be a problem. If not, I don't need to worry about non- problems. The only reason I'm a bit concerned is the bottom half of sight glass does seem to be getting a little darker but it's also getting a little lower. Any thoughts?

V8toilet

I've got the same problem as you and I'm also looking for any solutions. I have to keep skimming and changing the water in mine when it gets really bad or the water quality gets so bad it surges.

eburke_51

I have the same problem too. (Weil sgo-4)Seems as though there might be an area in the bottom shutoff vale, where the crud can collect. If I drain from that bottom valve or blow down it clears it up, but it always comes back. I put a little silcock valve and use to drain without having to take the bottom nut off the valve. Seems to grit up and hard turning after a while. Overall consenus out here is adding fresh water too often is a bad thing. I live withit.

Jim Farrell_3

W/M SGO Rusty Water....

My suggestion is that the boiler need to be cleaned and or sjimmed...W/M put a large 1/2 tapping in the front middle of the fron section to be used as a skim tapping...I would have you heating professional come out to skim your boiler or clean it with either TSP or Mex...Get your hands on a copy of Dan Holohan's Lost Art of Steam Book...Chapter 16 is all about cleaning all manufactures even Weil-McLain...

You will not go wrong if you buy this great book...

Joe R.

SusanC

rusty water in sight glass also

I'm wondering if something in the Weil-McLain set-up attracts rust to the sight glass inlet site or something at the inlet to the sight glass rusts, e.g. some sort of metallic reaction.  The reason for my wondering is that the water in my sight glass becomes rusty and cloudy upon first boiler run of the season.  The boiler water, however, is quite clean and the boiler has been very thoroughly professionally cleaned by its original, steam-savy company after the last regular run in May.  The boiler is only 3 years old and did this in season 2 and 3.  (I think the boiler installers were there for something else in the first season at about the first boiler run, which I assume (dangerous) is the reason why it did not happen that year.).  Please note that rust inhibitor is added during the May cleanings.

If, after the first couple of days, the sight glass is removed, cleaned up and re-installed, the water is clear until gradually rust builds up in the glass over a couple of months.  It seems that days without boiler running particularly cause this, e.g., the months between the May cleaning and the Oct. boiler run.  Always the water at various drain points, e.g. lowest pipe drain, Hartford Loop drain, low boiler drain is clean or not very rusty.  Does anyone have an answer to this question.  One thing I know is tha the boiler is "sqeaky clean" at the end of the May servicing, yet this happens on first Oct. run.

Charlie from wmass

DO they boil off the air after they clean in May?

If they flush out the boiler they need to bring it to a good steady boil before they are done to drive off the oxygen in the fresh water.

SusanC

after cleaning boiler is run at least to off on pressure

They sure do run the boiler after cleaning.  They check pressure cut-off and -in, etc. after cleaning.  I am there the whole time so I know what is done.  Anyway the boiler water appears not to be rusty.  It's the sight glass water that becomes rusty.  It seems that something at the inlet collects the small amount of rust available or some part in that vicinity rusts.  The only other possibility I can think of is that somehow during the summer rust from the non-water-covered top of the boiler falls onto the surface of the water and that is drawn to the sight glass; the problem with that theory is that the inlet to the sight glass is way below waterline so still something has to attract rust or rust at the sight glass inlet area.