boiler skiming

steamer7676

just wanted some input on skimming specifically on pumping make up water back into the boiler. I have throttled pump way down and put into hand so water comes out of skim port in about 3/8 to 1/2 in stream  water line is not above skim port so i think its the surface water coming out but I'm not sure if I'm stirring the water and breaking the oil up i have skimmed this boiler 5 times for 5 to 6 hours at a time and still have oil i have ran condensate down the drain for several days also . its piped so i can do this and still make up water i know its bad to put raw water in but it is softened water . i did the water boil test and it foams like crazy . i have used the squick and it worked good for a few weeks but foaming came back now owner adds boiler anti foam chemical provided by chemical treatment company . i have convinced owner to stop chemical treatment and skim some more and basically start over with the water side steam system has some other problems that we are working towards fixing but we are tyring to fix water problem first. any info on proper skimming would be great . this is the 6th boiler in 30 years the owner has put in and i would like to make it there last . the boiler is a burnham v1116 on nat gas very well built boiler just bad piping also thanks for the spell check wish more forums had them like i tell my dispatcher i get paid to fix hvac not spell. she is the one who has to decipher my service tickets and she doesn't get paid enough

Mark N

Softened Water

As far as I know you're not supposed to put softened water into a boiler. The water feed for the boiler should come from before the softener. Maybe the softened water is why they have replaced six boilers in 30 years. The boiler i replaced in my house 2 years ago lasted 75 yrs.

steamer7676

boiler skimming

mark n thanks for the reply the last two boiler replacement seem to be due to the leaks in the condensate returns and the large amount of make up water there was so much build up that the middle section up this 16 section boiler completely plugged up and cracked.  it looked like someone poured concrete into the boiler. i will try to post some pictures sometime its by far the worst boiler i have ever seen . 

nicholas bonham-carter

soft water=death to cast iron boilers!

at least it's a good possibility. what pump are you referring to? something, or some bad procedure has been responsible for the short lives of the previous boilers. is this a heating only situation? are there any unrepaired leaks? has the pressure been consistently over 2 psi?

as mark has said- his previous boiler was 75 years old! therefore your boiler should be capable of at least 50% of that lifespan.--nbc

steamer7676

boiler skimming

the pump referred to is the feed water pump. i really just wanted some input on skimming technique. I'm concerned that by pumping the water i could be breaking up the water surface and wasting time and money on skimming that does no good.