In the "Land of Pleasant Living"

Gordo

aka Maryland, we steam our crabs.  That is the way it should be done.



The poor blighted souls who live in South Carolina are sadly ignorant of this great truth and only know to boil their crustaceans.  It's enough to make one weep.



One man had a vision: He would bring to those unfortunate Carolinians the delights of STEAMED crabs.  He would put a crab steamer on a truck and bring it to them.



But how?  He had the truck.  He had the boiler.  He needed someone to put the boiler in correctly.



To whom can he turn to make his dream a reality?

Gordo

When Steaming Crabs

None of the condensate in the crab kettle or pot is returned to the boiler...it's pretty vile.



This means that the system is going to use a LOT of make-up water.



And this means that this water, when added, tends to quench the steam production slowing production of the final product.  That's the immediate problem.



The long term problem is the boiler's life is shortened significantly.



First, anything that can be done to produce the driest steam possible, within the bounds of the budget, should be done, i.e. use all full-sized steam outlets, high risers, drop header, proper take-offs, reamed pipe, proper slope etc.etc.



Next, the steam main should slope to a return.



And the take-offs for the crab pots should be from the top of the steam main.

nicholas bonham-carter

crab steamer

i hope the boiler was well skimmed itself before the first crabs were put in!

would using reverse osmosis purified water help to make all the makeup water more palatable to the boiler?--nbc

Gordo

Make-Up Water

for proper food production boilers is economically supplied by a domestic water heater.



The pre-heated water is then run through a Spiro-vent to get rid of as much oxygen as possible before it is added to the boiler.



Pre-heating the water also reduces the quenching effect on steam production.



On this crab truck project, an electric water heater was called for, because the customer was going to use a generator to run the refrigerator to keep the crabs cool and alive anyway.  One less  flame and flue to worry about. 

Gordo

Well Skimmed

Indeed.  These side out-let boilers with their narrow internal sections are better suited for ....SCRAP!  There, I said it! 



I feel better, now.  My medication is kicking in.



No, really, they are not very good boilers for steam and marginal, at best, for hot water.



Never mind the crabs, if you don't skim it, it will produce the wettest steam ever.



Our customer on this project got a real good deal on this boiler and got it before he consulted us.



Not sure if reverse osmosis "purified" water is best for steam boilers.  I think it makes the water "hungry" (i.e. chemically aggressive) and it will eat too much of the boiler.  Could be wrong, though.

MikeyB

Boiler

Very nice Gordo, looks like a real cool job to be part of, couple of questions, how did you vent the boiler? B-Vent? what kind of termination did you use? and how will the boiler be fired? LP? Thanks again, and keeo the pics coming

Gordo

Venting the Crab Truck

We used 6 ft of 6" type "B" vent right up through the roof.  We cut a hole in the roof and ran the vent through a tall cone flashing and put a proper UL listed vent cap on top just above the storm collar. 



The B vent helps with the minimal draft height and protects personal and material in the truck from as much excessive heat and burns as possible. 



Ah, but that vent can't stick too high off the roof or it will have increased risk of being knocked off as the truck moves down the road!



We converted the boiler to run on LP



Thank you for your comments and questions!

crash2009

Crabs for sale?

Nice project Gordo.  Thanks for sharing the crab steamer.  What do they do with it, travel around and sell steamed crabs to the crowds?  Or just keep it all for themselves.



Reminds me of my few days on the west coast, sitting on the dock waiting for todays catch to come in.  We ate a lot of Dungeon crabs out there.  What kind do you get in Maryland?

Gordo

The Idea the Customer Had

is to rent out his services at picnics, family reunions, parties and so forth.



Here in Maryland, it is the Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus, that reigns supreme as our State Crustacean.



Our State Sport, by the way, is Jousting.



And thank you for your words of praise.

Gordo

As This Was Going To Be

A hard-used boiler operating at what we would consider "high pressure", extra safety controls were needed.  A manual re-set pressure control and low water cut off were added.



As this boiler did not have a tapping to install a secondary LWCO at the proper height, the idea we had was to install it in the equalizer line.

gerry gill

you guys are awesome!

Now that is one truly memorable job! damn, now you got me wanting crab for thanksgiving!

Gordo

Your Words of Praise

are most appreciated!

Have a happy Thanksgiving, Sir.

Gordo

Steam Control

As the output of this boiler is somewhat limited, and the customer wanted to be able to steam several bushels of crabs at the same time, control of the amount of steam entering into each crab pot was critical.



As the load on the boiler would very over time depending on the number of crab pots on line and where they were in the cooking cycle, globe valves were chosen over ball valves for their superior valve authority.



We found a model of Nibco globe valves with teflon seats and union bonnet tops (for ease of repair) at a reasonable price for value. 

Gordo

And Now, It's Crab Steamin' Time!

Enjoy! Time now to break out your favorite fermented malt beverage.



This is how we steam crabs, here.



Here,



In The Land of Pleasant Living.