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Megasteam Chamber Scale

Chris M_2
Chris M_2 Member Posts: 67
in Strictly Steam
I had by burner serviced and boiler cleaned last night (Burnham Megasteam w/ Beckett AFG burner). When the tech removed the chamber door to begin vacuuming the boiler out, there was a lot of rusty (rust colored, and white scale) scale in the chamber; about 3/4 of an inch lying loose on the bottom of  the chamber, and a few areas of it "stuck" loosely to the chamber walls. The flue areas above the chamber were pretty dirty (whitish scale) as well.  This boiler was installed only two years ago. Should the chamber be this scaly? I should have taken pictures before the cleanup happened, but didn't think about it then.

Comments

  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,578
    rusty 2-year old

    are you storing anything containing chlorine/salt near the boiler? --nbc
  • Big Ed_4
    Big Ed_4 Member Posts: 2,973
    edited April 2010
    High Sulfur Fuel

    Hi Sulfur fuel oil would leave deposits on the boiler wall ... Then if the boiler is laying cold for a period of time , high humidity air will condense inside the boiler and crystalize the sulfur .. Once reheated at the next heating season the wet sulfur will expand and flake ...



    Clean your boiler at the end of the heating season ...

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 17,312
    Another thing

    how good a job did they do tuning the burner last time? 
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • Chris M_2
    Chris M_2 Member Posts: 67
    Must be high sulfer...

    Nicholas, I don't store chlorine/salt or anything like that near the boiler.



    Ed, The basement does however get quite humid in the summer, but I keep a dehumidifier running during the humid season (late spring through early fall).  Since the scale is inside the chamber, I'm not sure how effective any room de-humidification  measures would be, because the air in the chamber is actually "outside" air (chamber is basically wide open all the way up through the chimney).



    Steamhead, I'm not a pro, so it's hard for me to tell how well the boiler's been tuned during the yearly maintenance. The flame is wispy and doesn't hit the back of the chamber wall.



    All, If in fact this scaling is due to high sulfur fuel, does that mean the scale is simply unwanted "added" dirt, and not a product of the actual chamber walls corroding/breaking down? In other words, apart from making sure I brush and clean it all out every year, should I not be concerned that the scale is eating away at and thinning the chamber walls?  -Thanks
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