Goodbye Burnham, Hello...Burnham

Danny Scully

Finished this replacement today. Original boiler was a coal-fired Burnham, converted to oil at some point. Today, a new gas-fired Burnham IN7.

crash2009

second boiler riser

I like the way the second boiler riser drops in to the header.  It allows for a more compact install in a tight space.  

Danny Scully

Thanks Crash!

Thanks Crash!

Jim Bennett

Nice!......

Cast Iron fittings, great upsized drop header. You obviously took the time to clean all the piping afterwards.



Thats piping to be proud of!



Jim

Danny Scully

Thanks!

Thanks Jim, I really appreciate it.

Oak Park Electric

Looking good

Like Jim said, a noticeable LACK of pipe dope all over everything.  How many jobs have we all seen where the exact opposite is true...     good work.  Is there a backflow somewhere on that fill line?

FJL

Pipe Doping

What is the problem with noticeable pipe doping?  Is it just cosmetic or does excess pipe dope have some impact on how the systems runs?

Jean-David Beyer

excess pipe doping

I am not a professional heating contractor or plumber, so I have never used pipe dope myself. I have installed a lot of 1/2 inch copper tubing in my house, mostly in my darkroom. So while I have not used dope, I have used paste flux for soldering. I suspect I use too much. For the darkroom, I made 100 (I counted them once) soldered joints and no leaks. I have water filters in there, and they trapped what seems to have been flux when I first started using that. (I never eat or drink up there because it is too easy to contaminate things with photochemicals.) Those fittings that have to be threaded (vacuum breakers, mixer valves, etc.) I just used teflon tape.



When my boiler was replaced, and the near boiler piping totally replaced as well, the plumbers used both teflon tape and pipe dope on all the threaded connections. They did not make it clear why both; belt and suspenders I suppose, but I do not actually know. The gasfitters used dope only, no teflon. Oh; the LWCO was dope-only; no teflon. But I know why that is.



I guess too much dope is like too much flux: it gets into the piping system and that is likely to be undesirable.

MikeyB

Burnham

Real nice work Danny, by any chance is the guy on the right hand side of the last photo name Peter? he looks alot like my old partner from a shop in Queens, NY

Oak Park Electric

Dope

On the outside, it's really just a cosmetic thing.  When an installer leaves a job with dope smeared all over the pipes, fittings, boiler jacket, and maybe even some on the floor,  it just looks like hasty careless work.  Even though what we do is supposed to be covered with insulation, a real pro usually takes pride in his work and wants it to be as good as it can be.  That means both functionally and cosmetically.  However, a serious over doping can cause it to get into the system, which can be a problem in things like  potable water piping or steam boilers.

gerry gill

Nice looking job.

Clean and well installed..great job!

Danny Scully

Negative

Negative Oak Park, there is no backflow. We don't usually install backflows on steam boilers. On a hot water boiler, it's the second item on my material list behind pressure reducing valve, ha. But for a steam boiler, it has honestly never come up on any inspection. I guess the theory here being the lack of pressure, although anythings possible.



JDB, the lack of pipe dope is just me being a psycho. The best boiler installations are those that follow the manufacturers instructions, and to the best of my knowledge Burnham does not insist you remove the pipe dope from the outside of the fittings.



Mikey, that's not Peter. Sorry! Ha

Thanks again!  

Danny Scully

Thanks!

Thanks Gerry!