Boiler Blowdown overdue

Unknown

familiar name,,, <i>blowdown</i> is an understatement, sounds like your in for a "skimming" process, and this is no small task! If I were you, check the "find a pro" to see if you can find a steam man in your area to do this properly and safely.<BR><BR>Dave

Dave Miller

Boiler Blowdown overdue

As a world class procrastinator and inexperienced HO I've been putting off "blowing down" our new (last season) Utica PEG boiler. The term itself is scary and the instructions aren't too comforting:

"Light burners and allow five pounds of steam pressure to buile up. Run a temporary connection from one of the drain valves to a nearby sewer. Connect to a drain valve on the opposite end of the boiler from the feed water inlet, if possible. Shut off the gas burners, open the drain valve and blow down the entire contents of the boiler. Allow boiler to thoroughly cool and slowly refill to water line. Repeat step 2 as many times as required until blow off water is clear. Owner should blow down boiler as least once each month of the heating season."

I need to do this 'cause the boiler water is cloudy and she is surging and bouncing. So, a few questions, if you are willing:

Do I connect an ordinary garden hose for the 20 ft to the basement floor drain? Will it melt?

How do I set the pressuretrol; to 6 pounds? Do you bump the t'stat to max?

How do you know when the boiler is cool enough to refill?

The drain is on the same side as the water supply; any big problem?

Does not monthly blowdowns make it hard on the boiler as fresh water is corrosive?

Any gotchas to watch for.............?

Thanks and I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for this site, among many other things.

scrook_2

"Blowdown" is what you do regularly to a float type Low Water CutOff (e.g. McDonnell & Miller series 67), letting off a little water and collected 'mud' from the chamber around the float. If you only have a probe type LWCO than you don't have to do this at all.

"Skimming" is where you let hot water, and with it floating debris/oils/pipe dope residue/etc. (following a new boiler install or new pipe work) out (to waste) from a port in the boiler at the water line.

The instructions should read: "...as many times as required, until the blowoff water is clear." *NEW PARAGRAPH* "The owner should blow down the boiler ['s float type low water cutoff] at least once per month...." The two are separate thoughts/topics, so should not be run together in one paragraph.

See Find a Professional above if you're not sure.

David Nadle

Saw that too

Dave, I have a new PEG and saw those same instructions. I can't imagine letting the thing run to 5 psi. It feels like they cut and pasted the instructions for a large commercial boiler or something (but what do I know)...

If you are surging you probably need a skim. I recommend you let somebody with experience do that for you, at least until you've seen it a few times. You could get hurt.

As far as "blow down," you probably have a probe type low water cutoff, so no valve there. What I do is open the valves on the return and the lower boiler tappings, one at a time, and drain about a quart of water until it runs clear. Then I add water slowly to restore the normal waterline. I've been told once a week is a good frequency for this.