Talk about Purdy!

Unknown

think it's a shame such a work of art will have to be destroyed? Breaks my little heart. :(

The owner asked me if I REALLY thought it should be replaced. Tough question. ;)

Question for the initiated, what asbestos might I find hidden in there?

nicholas bonham-carter

work of art

maybe when replaced it could be made into a cocktail cabinet, or just stand out in the garden with roses growing over.
maybe the owner will love her so much that, he will insulate the pipes, and have the burner setup as well as can be, and go on for more years.
i have heard that people were puting firebricks inside the chamber to slow the heat down on its way out.
thanks for sharing those pictures with us.it's certainly a beauty.--nbc

Unknown

I was thinking,,,

Maybe a nice two stage burner would serve the purpose. The owner wants to change it out because he thinks he may sell in the future and doesn't want it to be a sticky spot in the deal. Plus he's afraid it'll give up the ghost and then it'll become an emergency at the worst possible moment, like all emergencies. It's got to weigh 1000 lbs or I would consider taking it out in one piece. The pix don't show it very well but it's about 5 feet tall. I like the garden idea. Just thought I'd bring the pix to a place where I knew it would truly be appreciated.

Circa 1920 btw

nicholas bonham-carter

iron rose trellis

just remember it came into the house carried by men, so i presume it will go out that way too!
other uses could be an outdoor barbeque/smoker.
what about giving a careful estimate on a new system which he can include as an allowance in a future house sale.that way he can keep it good condition until he sells, then the subsequent owner can use the allowance for a new mod-con [or a ferrari!]--nbc

Unknown

Found it,,,

in Dan's library in the Beacon Boiler book. Walker and Pratt Model 128. Very cool! Water rating 1065 sq ft. Wish it had weight on it in there. Apparently the biggest cast iron round they made. I was figuring it was lowered into place through the open foundation, before the structure went up and probably by a block and tackle rig? I GUESS if we hired a rigging co we could get it out of there in one piece. Did not look at hatchway to compare dimensions. First off, what are the chances of it ever leaking? That would be the only worry as far as I can see. Wish I could find a schematic of it's construction just for ha-has. The smoker idea has merit as well. Also good on the estimate idea. I'll bring this all up to him and see where he wants to take it. Another concern is the expansion tank on the third floor. He wants to renovate and open up the third floor which would require removing the tank. The overflow runs allll the way back down to the basement where it drains if you overfill, so he found out, the hard way. Found some other Walker and Pratt history. The made cannonballs during the Civil war as well. Also famous for coal stoves. Do you think I'll find asbestos integral to the construction?

Unknown

OK.

I just fired off an email to him with your suggestions layed out. Let's see what happens.

Unknown

Neat Unit! After you get into this steam thing you really appreciate the old units.
If it were me I'd rebuild it though it wouldn't be all that practical especially if you're going to try and sell the house to a non steam person. On the other hand, while oil prices have come back down, they sure to go up again and might be really handy to be able to change back to coal!

Thanks for posting the picture. Beats visiting an art gallery anytime!

Unknown

I'm impressed,,,

by the "embroidery". They really took pride in what they were producing to have gone that extra mile just to pretty it up.