Is this my skim port?

FJL

I read an occasional post about skimming a boiler. I have Burnham IN-11. Is this the skim port?

Rod

Burnham IN Skim Port

Hi- It's hard to tell from the picture as we can't see where the pipe and valve are located on the boiler. Attached is I&O manual excerpt that shows the location of the IN skim port.

- Rod

FJL

My Port

Unfortunately, the size of my boiler room doesn't give me enough room to take a picture from farther away.  My back is pretty much up against the wall in the picture I took.  IIRC, the port in my picture is located more than halfway up the boiler, maybe 3/5?  I guess I'll have to look at manual.  What will it be called on the manual?  Skim port or what is in the manual excerpt above?  The surface blow out?

Rod

Burnham IN Skim Port

Hi- The excerpt was from Page 6 in the I&O  manual  Here's the link if you don't have a copy

http://www.usboiler.burnham.com/pdf/Independence%20I&O%202-10.pdf

Look at the size and where other items are attached as this should give you a better idea. Keep in mind that the drawing pictures the boiler casting and not the cabinet which is what you see.

- Rod

FJL

Skim Port

OK.  Based on the schematic, and the information that the schematic is the casing and not the cabinet, I'd say that what is pictured is "L" from the schematic.  So I guess that is the skim port?  To skim the boiler, I'd have to raise the water to the level of the skim port and then slowly release the water, right?

Rod

Article on Skimming

Hi- Here is a link to a good article on skimming.

http://www.oilheating.com/index.mv?screen=previousissues

Look in the June 2009 issue on Page 20.

The method they use is called “Hot Skimming”. You can also “Cold Skim” by not heating the boiler water. Some people consider this is a better method as oil is less likely to mix with cold water. Either method will work.  To skim- The idea is to drain off the surface water and contaminates s-l-o-w-l-y. (the slower, the better) To give you an idea of how slowly, I drain about a 5 gallon bucket in about 2 hours. Usually you have to do several skimmings to get things clean. Skim, run the boiler for a day or two and then skim again. I’ve had to do as many as 5 skimmings before the waterline settled down.

If you haven’t  done it in a while, it’s a good idea to drain your boiler first, flush it and refill it and let it run a while before skimming. As always bring the new water to a boil first to drive off the excess oxygen.

- Rod

FJL

Draining The Boiler

Thanks. I'm glad you mentioned draining. I assume there is a valve at the bottom of the boiler to be used for draining? I guess I'll have to figure that one out by looking at the schematic.

JustinF

Article on Skimming

The link posted by Rod on skimming is no longer active. Here is a PDF of it. I found it very helpful.