steam boiler

Unknown

Doesn't look like the gauge works. It is reading 10 inches of Vacuum!

john deforge

unusual tank on steam boiler

can anyone tell me what this tank is for? the heating system has been working fine until last week. now it takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours for the house to get warm. steam is traveling up the main and return at the same time which i believe is causing a long time to heat. could something have failed in the tank. please see following pictures

Charlie from wmass

Have you checked you water level? The basics for vent function? From the pictures I believe the tank is simply a steam chamber meant to dry the steam before it goes up into the supply piping. There should be no moving parts in it. The photo of the sight glass appeared to show the water level was near the bottom of the glass. Has the system been serviced this year, flushed, skimmed, and cleaned?

nicholas bonham-carter

mystery tank

it looks like your pressure is at 10 psi, which is much too high. perhaps your pressuretrol has failed,which is allowing the burner to run rampant, instead of shutting off on pressure. if this is the case, then consider replacing it with a vaporstat, to get the accurate control of low pressures which are better for steam.

i don't know about the tank. it may have been something to dry the steam, before it goes out to the main. if it were mounted a bit lower, i would guess it was to keep some extra water in reserve for the boiler, but it looks as if you have an auto-fill for that purpose.--nbc

Brad White_191

Tank

I just see that as a fabricated header made out of welded pipe. As nbc said, to dry the steam. The person was probably a welder or salvaged it. The end caps look like something from a welding class project (meant in a good way, a sample of how to close off a pipe with plate).

My $0.02

Brad

Steamhead (in transit)

Many Sears steam boilers

had those steam separators. IIRC, Dunkirk made the boiler for Sears.

It may be that the boiler has finally rotted out above the waterline.

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