Cleaning Thermo Dynamics Boilers

Tony_25

Went on Tune & Vac today TD "S" Series. Thought I would let it cool down while I did the Nozzel & Filters. I started to hear the sound of water dripping. Pulled the burner & it was a leaking into the chamber.... Yes !
Will have to try the soot snoot next time.

Tony_25

Cleaning Thermo Dynamic Boilers..

I have been cleaning oil fired boilers for a few years. I still haven't figured out how to clean a Thermo Dynamics steel dry base boiler with out choking on the exhaust it puts out while you clean the flue passages. I have tried putting it in safety while the circulators cool it down, running water thru the coil also. I tried putting the vac hose in the inspection hole in front of the boiler to pull the gases out that way too. Melts a plastic vac hose. I quess you have to wear a good respirator. Its gets the boiler area messed up when the hot gases and soot come up from the hot chamber. I once spoke a factory rep about this and he never heard about it before. The customers never shut the boiler down when they have an appointment to have it cleaned. When I see one thats not running on a service call( No Heat) and its cool. Better to clean it NOW..

R Mannino

Cleaning

This one gagged me a few times. Ron

Alan R. Mercurio_3

It’s not a perfect world but let’s face it we chose our profession and we need to do the best we can with the knowledge and tools we have.

With that said next time you work on a TD or any other boiler for that matter try the following steps if you haven’t already.

After listening to the system operate, turn it off. Do your work on the burner first. Nozzle, filter, strainer, clean check and adjust electrodes as needed, check fuel unit pressure and cut-off maybe even vacuum?, check the transformer/ignitor. Check the blower housing and squirrel cage for dust or lint, If applicable you could be draining the expansion tank during this time.

Once the maintenance on the burner is completed and all the safeties and other components have been checked including an inspection of the fuel tanks condition the boiler should be cool enough to start brushing and vacuuming the flues and flue pipe.

Hope this helps you some.


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Mark Hunt_4

Well

I was watching
Dirty Jobs" last night and Mike had to clean a big fire tube steamer on a tug boat. Crawled inside the combustion chamber with wire brushes. Best part was that the guy he was there with was running a brush through the tubes while Mike was inside then boiler. HAHAHAHA! He looked like a coal miner when he came out.

I would get a "Soot-Snoot" if you don't have one already. Long metal, goose neck attachment for the soot-vac. Plastic never gets near the hot block. Another method I used was to put the vac in the burner compartment and seal it the best I could. That worked 2nd best.

First place went to letting someone else do it.

Mark H

Tony_25

Yes...

Yes , I have tried to stall vacing the boiler by doing all things I can think of while the boiler cools down. I have used the soot snoot too. Ron has the best idea. Throw it away. Sooner of later they will all go. Just like the Blue Ray 1, they don't last forever. Maybe today I'll do battle with another TD boiler. Big Blue has tons of them.

[Deleted User]

I suggest getting a dust mask or respirator. They're pretty inexpensive and it's not like you need to use one all the time. And I second the idea of getting a soot snoot, ditch the plastic. There was an old timer I worked with that would use a hose to clean out the flue passages. He would set the limit to 200 and wait until it shut down, then spray. The first time I saw him do it, I thought sure he would make a mess in the chamber. The idea is that the water flashes to steam. I've never done it myself but it was sure fun to watch. I don't know if it would work good on a TD boiler, but it worked good on a CI Slant Fin.

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Al Gregory_3

I always hated that boiler, I cringe when I see them.