Where to find a new solid fuel steam boiler

Christian Egli_2

I have a brochure from Hurst that has a steam producing boiler meant to burn waste wood from a sawmill, but it is big-ish -I don't know how big your gig is.

Perhaps you could find a used boiler... with lots of luck, you might find one in better shape than yours. Perhaps someone here would consider exchanging a working old fashioned coal boiler with you, if that makes any sense?

Otherwise, repairing your current one might be a viable option. Cast iron, even rotted out, is repairable. However, it is not easy to get leak proof repairs, neither is it foolproof, nor guaranteed, nor inexpensive, and the crack has to be accessible; an old boiler is not worth the repair if you do not have the knowledge to do it yourself, if that makes any sense?

It occurs to me, model railroading clubs operate solid fuel boilers. There might be a lead to get from them.

Now for a new idea

People convert steam boilers to run hot water all the time, it mainly involves changing the trim. Why can't the opposite not be done? Buy a hot water boiler and convert it to produce low pressure steam, after all, steam only calls for 15 PSI, hot water ratings are way higher. This change should be less scary than a conversion to hot water.

Choose a boiler that has the largest water content, judicious tapings, space for the trim, space for the steam to form, etc.

Good luck and be safe.

Fred Campbell

Replacing a Steam Boiler

I was referred to this site by one of the regulars at the HVAC-TALK site.

I have a US Radiator boiler that has finally sprung a leak. For several reasons I do not want to upgrade to gas or oil. Therefore I am looking for suggestions as to where to begin looking for a replacement. Surfing the web, I have found several solid fuel boilers, but nothing so far for steam.

Steamhead (in transit)

Fred, the only ones

I know of are Axeman-Anderson:

www.axeman-anderson.com

and Keystoker:

http://www.keystoker.com/coaloilboilers.html

Hope this helps.

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Fred Campbell

Replacing a Steam Boiler

I don't remember exactly who I talked to on the phone, but I was eventually directed to Meyers Supply in Johnstown, PA, as a likely source for a used boiler. He had one that was of a little less capacity but there is less load on it now than there was on the older one when it was installed in the early 1950's. What we took out was rated at 1100 sq ft. What we put in was rated at 900 sq ft. The radiator load is 700 sq ft. I invested in Dan the man's "Lost Art of Steam Heating" and took careful note of all the critical measurements from the older boiler. At first I thought the dead men made an error by piping the header directly straight up from the boiler without any swing joints in the two risers. They used two flange joints but alas, only one was really tight. the other was snug enough not to leak but loose enough to allow for thermo expansion. I built a drop header using the same flanges. It has been up and running for about 3 months. It seems to be more efficient than the older one in that it takes about one half as long to get steam to the radiators from a cold no fire start. This week I added a hot water loop to it to heat another building 40 feet away with about 100 ft of baseboard convector. Local advisor suggested adding the HW loop in and out opposite corners at the bottom of the boiler. I asked about hotter water at the water line. He said not enough difference to worry about, if it is circulating it's all about the same temperature. Besides taking it from the top is too hot. That would have been easier than boring and taping each section, but that's the way the older one was plumbed and it worked well for 25 years. And besides, by taking the hotter water from near the water line, the boiler is still protected by the Hartford loop in case the HW circuit should spring a leak and the pump sucks out the water from the bottom faster than the auto Miller feeder can fill it. I compensated for the too hot by recirculating some of the return water directly into the intake manifold of the pump. So far there has been no snap crackle or pop when the HW thermostst is satisfied and the pump shuts down.