Replacing combustion chamber question

Nutmeg

Weil Mclain 68 Boiler

I purcahsed the replacement kit,part # 386-500-085.

It includes an insulation blanket,back refractory,front refractory,4oz water glass and instructions.

My question...Assuming that int instructions are precise for a homeowner,is there anything I should be aware of in advance?Possible issues to be on the look-out for? Common screw-ups for folks who have time,but no money,for repairs.

Thanks in advance.

icesailor

Replacement Question?

If and when, you get all four bolts off holdong the front on without breaking a stud, and get it off, it's pretty straight forward. Make sure you get the front back on air tight or you will have wasted your time. You usually only need to replace the back. And the bottom is a joke. . Make sure that you thoroughly clean inside. Stick a screwdriver up between the sections on the sides and get all the crumbles down.

billtwocase

yes and

be careful with the screwdriver as it will pull out the packing between the sections. The most important part of this kit is the front cover wall. this should have a dab of furnace cement between the two just to keep it in place until it is on right

icesailor

Chambers:

Which is why some jobs are better left to Professionals who are supposed to know what they are doing.

Charlie from wmass

Make sure!!!!!!!!!

If you do it yourself to get the sealant properly around the mounting plate and burner air tube mounting plate. I just did one yesterday.

Nutmeg

Thanks all for your comments.

Icesailor,I would if I could.

Other than breaking a bolt it looks pretty straightforward...or at least I hope so!

When the parts come and I have done the job I will post results and observations.

Again,thanks!

icesailor

Changing W/M Chambers:

Get a can of Kroil. Put it on the threads for a few days or so. Every time you go by, give it a shot. Give an easy twist. If it comes loose, you're cool. If it isn't coming, like it doesn't move more than a degree or two, STOP!!!!!!!!

Give it another shot of Kroil. Then, take a Prestolite torch and heat up the nut. Try to get it very hot. Like glowing red if you can. Let it cool a bit. Like a couple of minutes. Then, cool it down with Kroil, When it is cooled down with Kroil, wrench it again. If it isn't coming, you can use a nut splitter on it if you have one. I have two. If you can't get the nut off and you break the stud off after doing all I suggested, it was going to break anyway. No matter what you do.

If you take every rust removing/breaking product and combined them together, it still won't equal a can of Kroil.

kanolabs.com.

Charlie from wmass

I like PB Blaster

But having a nut splitter is a good idea. The one I changed simply came apart with a deep socket. If you need to split the nut remember to chase the threads with a die before putting it back together. I it needs a chamber it probably needs a tune up.Do you know what kiled the chamber? Sometimes it is a leak not just the flame that takes out a chimney.

Nutmeg

When I got the tune-up the tech told me the chamber

needed replacing. That is what started this whole DIY project.

I will wait until Spring before I attempt it,anyway,just in case I fail. As for the nuts,I am oiling them (3-in-1) every other day and will continue to do that.

icesailor

PB- Blaster

Charlie,

You obviously have never used Kroil. If you had, you wouldn't bother with PB-B.

I have a friend who does marine/boat repair. He carries two cans of AeroKroil in his trucks On case a can runs out or a can gets lost. I have a spray can and a pint squirt can.

I'm on a site for people that have Gravely tractors. The Guru's all use Kroil.

I was in the maintenance hanger of a commuter airline chatting with the mechanics. I asked them if they had ever seen the stuff. They pointed to a bench behind me that had three cans on it.

They don't sell it to consumers like the general public or resale. You buy it as a professional for professional use.

Go to their website  . I've used it all. There is nothing that come close. It has a lot of Wintergreen Oil in it.

Matthew Grallert

mounting seal.

Charlie and Ice Sailor along  these lines do you have a trick for managing the sticky cord that comes with the replacement kit.  I find this sometime unmanageable, sticks to my gloves but not to the casting.   Any tips?

thanks guys

peace

Matthew

icesailor

Sealing:

I use High temp. RTV.

Charlie from wmass

I drive past a gravely for sale

almost every day. It is in Lenox, MA do you want the contact information? It is a modern one. A rider with about a 42" mower deck?

Charlie from wmass

I apply it bare handed

I use bare hands to apply the rope. I am not a fan of RTV around oil.

Charlie from wmass

Did you get a price from the tech?

It may be a lot cheaper to have it done then to diy. By cheaper I mean who would change a chamber without being paid for it?

World Plumber

Combustion setup

The combustion setup should be checked afterwards, Generally do a cleaning need to get all the dirt out before installing the chamber. Talk to the Tech (company) ask how much more to replace the chamber while doing the cleaning and combustion setup. I often just charge extra labor with the yearly service.

Nutmeg

I spoke to a company rep last night when he

was delivering oil and he said he would ask around to see if anyone wants a cash job. For a fair price I will pay. For inflated prices I can't. The DIY approach seems OK,if a bit challenging.

The kit looks straight-forward and all the advice is very much appreciated.

Perhaps the best part of this thread,for me,will be my new cans of KROIL that are in the mail!! WOW!  If what you said and the vids on YOUTUBE show are true it will change my rusty life!

Thanks everyone!

Irish Reign

Sticky stuff

Yea, buy a Lynn chamber it has rope instead of the cope seal. I hate that stuff!!! Only works in the assembly plant when everything is clean. Not to mention the Lynn chamber kit is much better than the one that comes from Weil. And use the blanket on the bottom - the 66/68 series are loud and the blanket helps to quiet it down. Also aids in oil combustion.

Weezbo

i like your reply.

i like everyone's thinking some more than others ,



Retro fit any F-3 Riellos to and old 663 ?



Tell me about it i am all ears ...



*~//: )

Weezbo

Nutmeg,

things are not always as they seem.

by the way , i too keep some 3-1 in my tool pouch , i used to have a small singer sewing machine stash as well, liquid fire , WD-40 , Silube , nut buster ,taps reamers , left and right thread , various drill types , sizes stainless steel bolts and washers , brass nuts to run on , anti seize compounds of various descriptions ...and i haven't even come up for air....lol what we do is our road game and there are many minor technicalities in what we do .

when ever i go up country ,and thank Gawd that is seldom i also take along a host of gasket materials o ring materials to make my own o rings and gaskets and inside and outside snap ring , inside and outside caliphers ..on an on ....

because the parts dept is not, say, Near ...; ))



it is without question that we can acquire something near in our cities and towns ,

when it comes to the Kits from manufacturers the immediate change out for Irish Red means he wont be having as many difficulties because he is familiar with a product and knows how to get the best out of it .



Ice sailor has some time he shaves off by using some red rtv in small quantities as a bead so he is happy with that , someone else is keen on clean buh does like the gert wide materials that come with it , another finds the time he spends one way to make a product he is ready to stand behind, ... this is what is called integrity .

they do what they do because they are satisfied the people will have heat and it wont result in a hazard ,and it is the best they have to offer so, you the homeowner will feel comfortable safe and sound.

When they are done that work they will have done wont be some unsightly mess . or that is not able to be reproduced by someone else doing exactly the same things , using the exact same materials and in most cases , no, in every case so far mentioned , their work will stand the test of Time.

I often leave all the special products up country because that way they will have the ability to make a variety of things that they might be able to use in other projects as well.

So when you consider The Work rather than just one persons effort and thinking all of them do what they can to forward the big picture .



i wont tell you how to wire around a low water or safety devise because even though i have the knowledge on how to do a great many things, i also know that things like to do what they have been doing , and i can tell when they have been changed and often i let someone else fill them in on the details ...



often , the read on some book shows far greater understanding than first perusal.



older equipment , candidly even requires some supreme attention to detail just to clean satisfactorily , and a variety of tools and often days of work .



and as you have heard we use High heat to stretch parts to help to remove even a simple bolt . and replace them with stainless steel thru bolt with Caterpillar anti seize compound on the thread ,with stainless washers and brass nuts to make removal a breeze in the future ...

if all of our experience 's could be used by you , your clean machine would probably be even better than the day it was born at the factory.



our burners these days are quite unlike 100 psi Blast burners of the past ...

even the controls can be brought into this century , and yes it does have something to do with the fire chamber ... oil itself has changed ...and yes that too has something to do with the chamber and liner ... : )

just being able to"read" the condition of the fire box or stack draft co2 temps and smoke and co or even a quick peek with a mirror can help find other minor technicalities that are every bit as important with out even really touching the boiler ..

so what i am trying to say , if isn't your road game , you are money ahead hiring someone who is at it ... they may leave you astonished at the material that came out of your stack by the shovel fulls .... bewildered by how it even ran at all in the past ,

and after taking 4 " of crappola off the deck of the boiler wondering just what was that doing to the useage of every gallon of oil .... if making your nut today to get out of town keeps getting more difficult over the years it may be because you have been feeding the oil company .

none of these guys are particularly fond of hearing some oil companies profits only went into the hundreds of billions last year ... we would rather hear in the news that you say a 2000 gallon oil consumption drop to 235 gallons year over year since we installed the new fire chamber liner and tuned in a few peripherals ..in the news .



1765 gallons saved is 1765 gallons EARNED so i tend to think some consideration should indeed be forthcoming .



because while it may be great for you what the heck has it done for me?

or anyone else involved in The Work going forward? yet that is what we do , each and every day it is done all over the world ...

Hire a professional you are money ahead.

Patchogue Phil_2

great post Weezy

Nutmeg did hire a professional for the tuneup,  almost  3 years ago when the this thread was started!!!!



Nevertheless,  you made some excellent points. 



Some repairs are labor-intensive and low-skilled at that.  A chamber replacement is a messy job that many o time can be a DIY project.  After heating season is done.  Then hire a pro to do a thorough tuneup. 



Some people just dont have the coin and *can* perform the messy simple jobs as DIY.