weight of sectional steamer

bob_46

try this. The next time you work on a jacketed atmospheric boiler with a door. Measure the CO2 with the door on and with it off.

Timco

Looks like I will get the go ahead to re-pipe this mess, but step one is to level it. 11 sections total. Any ideas on weight? I will need to jack up front then rear to get a steel I-beam under it to support it as the floor is really uneven, then level the I-beams. Does this make the most sense to support & level it? It will get a header, equalizer, 2 risers, hartford loop, skim port, and so on...like the main's pitch? NO drip or any way to drain main currently, you should hear it bang. Runs at 12psi.


Tim

bob young

new concrete base

You might be better off stripping it down & moving it to the side while constructing a new concrete base slab & then set & start from scratch.

nicholas bonham-carter

weight of the beast

smith probably knows the weight, as they had to ship them.
is the plan to raise the whole thing up and then level the floor, or just leave it on a new framework, maybe 8 in. higher? do you have dimension "A"to spare?

sounds like an exciting project. they have pretty cheap [$40] non-hydraulic jacks capable of lifting about 6 tons-maybe one on each corner would move it up.--nbc


http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?keyword=jack&Submit=Go

tim smith

I would guess about avg of 200 - 300# per section. ends heavier,

middles lighter. Looked at it further and I bet not much over 2000 total, but as above said, Smith will have the exact. I might just be inclined to slide out of way and pour nice maintenance pad and then slide over, lift one end and up onto pad. One problem with putting up on I beams is you change the dynamics of combustion as the skirt directs air into these atmospheric combustion chambers. When up in air it totally changes. Don't ask me how I know and how many hours we spent finding out this. Tim

bob_46

Base

It's not the best idea to leave the boiler on the I-beams. On an atmospheric gas boiler the secondary air is not adjustable and is fixed by the design of the jacket. It is designed to sit on a flat surface. I would jack it up, pour a 4" base and set it back down.

Timco

Ahhh...didn't think of the primary / secondary air. Dang!!! Pleanty of A dimension, so a pad it is. I really want to keep the down time to a minimum but this just really complicated things.

Tim

MikeyB

boiler lift

Hey Tim, any chance of manuvering an A-Frame in that area to lift your boiler up, than pour a pad, and lower it back down? the place does look tight, maybe even hang some chainfalls, or come-a-longs on the ceiling some how, either way you do it be sure to show some pics, good luck

nicholas bonham-carter

\"just slide it out of the way\"!

what could be easier? just a little sliding!

might be easier to slide an angle [with a tongue and lip to catch the jack] underneath on one side of the frame, and raise that side up, then the other. high enough, to put car wheel-stands under while the pad goes down. concrete pavers might make the pad job easier.

it could be a challenge to raise it up carefully enough to avoid straing the push-nipples. however it seems like it couldn't be in worse condition than now.

the other challenge is to estimate the cost of such a job. i am sure your reputation makes it easier for the client to accept a "time and materials basis", especially as you are probably the only one capable,and willing in your are.

i don't know why, but this seems one of the most interesting projects here for quite a long time! i am just glad i am not involved, except vicariously! i hope you will post lots of pictures as this job goes on. maybe a sound recording of the water-hammer would be interesting.--nbc

tim smith

Sliding boilers like these and larger is easier than you think

We use large flat bars about 5 ft long and slip under edge or we use these long wood handles with a small toungue and wheel on the end, slip under edge of boiler, cantiliver up and inch or so and roll out of way. All easy. The downtime of 1 day is a bear although as you have noted. You could just use 4 " thick concrete blocks (solid) and make full pad that way so you dont have the 1 day lag. PS, we have slid around 4000 lbs boilers this way so it does work!

MikeyB

lift

Johnson Bars are what they are called, you could move the Earth with these...

tim smith

Thanks Mike, did not know the name. Yeah that's the ticket

use your johnson to move the boiler.

MikeyB

Johnson

Good stuff, I watched a guy manuver a 4,000 lb PFHX onto a house keeping pad with his Johnson Bar once, oops did i say that out loud?

[Deleted User]

GB300-11

steamer weighs 2,537# w/ water. Water content to water line 33.8 gallons.

Timco

Well, the senior application engineer for Mestek (smith) does not think the steel beam idea would hurt the draft or secondary air, so I may give that a try. No room to slide it, and do not want to rig & lift. Blocks would have to be laid level. seems the beams would not be that difficult, and the skirt could be fabed lower if needed...

Tim

tim smith

I would not as this has been a problem with Burnham atmospheric

and it did make sense after numerous intermmittent lock outs on ignition failure. Was a real pain to find. Good luck.

Timco

Did you try mig welding a skirt around the beams? I really don't want to move & pour, and the owner already got a copy of the email about beams not being a bad idea. Maybe I should claim no guarantee or just pass if he wants to go with the beams...

Tim