\"Concrete-like\" Soot

Bill_110

Could it have been some sort of leak plugging goop, the kind which the manufacturers say never to use.

Michael Wilson

Strange....

I was called to clean an old New Yorker steel boiler (hot water) and found it totally plugged...CO alarms going off and the like.

I've had plugged boilers before but nothing like this. The bottom two inches of the tubes were completely solid with a grey/tan substance. I had to actually drill out the stuff with a paddle bit on the end of an electrician's extension...

Any idea what this substance was or what caused it (besides neglect )?

Thanks,
Mike

Fred Harwood_2

Soot

Sulfur? And neglect.

TimS

Does the heat exchanger have very small water leaks ?
Or alot of condensation? contaminated make up air?

Michael Wilson

Everything looked dry in, on, and around the boiler...


can i still get an accurate draft reading with some of the tubes still containing the crud?

walnuts

check your stack temp, it probably is very low; causing condensation which when mixed with lack of maintenance makes cement. when you re-test make sure you are at the minimum firing rate or better.

Michael Wilson

Thanks! I have it scheduled to recheck the boiler this week.

We shall see!

lee_7

Did customer turn off boiler during summer? Happens a lot, they don't use for hot water so they turn off in summer. Boiler sits in nice cool, damp basement and the thing sweats like a cold beer in the hot summer sun. I always suggest the customer keep a low temp in boiler all year to help prevent this.