Cleaning punch-list for a gas Dunkirk PWB atmospheric boiler?

Al Roethlisberger

As my signature says, I'm just a DIY'er trying to maintain and service my system since I don't have any local pros.  Even using the "find a pro" search here only finds the closest pro registered on this board at 250 miles  *laugh*



Of course we do have some mechanical systems folks in the area, mostly up in Raleigh 40 miles away, but they specialize in commercial and price and prioritize accordingly.  So again, it is left up to me....



Soooo, my question is about yearly boiler cleaning and maintenance.



I have a circa 1991 "Carrier"(rebadged Dunkirk pwb-8d) cast iron atmospheric gas fired boiler.  I suspect that other than some vacuuming(by yours truly), it has never been "serviced" by past owners based on my conversations with them.  So I'm curious what is recommended as an annual inspection and service "punch list" for annual cleaning of a gas atmospheric(non condensing) boiler?



According to the latest "installation and operation" manual from Dunkirk for the PWB series:



"CLEANING YOUR BOILER AND BURNERS

Flue passages between sections should be examined yearly

and cleaned if necessary. To clean, remove burners, pilot, and

vent pipe, Remove top and front jacket panels. Remove the

two screws attaching the intermediate front panel to the left

and right side jacket panels. Remove the draft diverter and

intermediate front panel as a unit. Carefully remove the cerafelt

gasket strips. Clean passageways between sections with a

flexible handle wire brush. Remove dirt from bottom of boiler

and from between sections by vacuuming. Make sure all flame

ports in burners are open and clear. Shake out or blow out all

loose dirt in burners. Reseal seams between adjacent sections

as necessary with 400° F RTV silicone sealant. Reassemble

all parts. Be sure to check tightness of pilot connections and

condition of burner flames after reassembly (see Figures 17

and 18). Be sure vent pipe connections to chimney are secure

and no obstructions are present."



All of the above seems simple and reasonable, although the instructions to "Reseal seams between adjacent sections as necessary with 400 RTV silicone sealant.  Reassemble all parts." does raise another question.  Do they mean I should disassemble the actual boiler sections then reseal them?  I suspect that isn't what they are recommending.  And if not, what exactly are they specifying I reseal with RTV "as needed"?



Thanks,

Al