Glass Gauge Blowdown on Residential Boiler

RobLC

We do a weekly blow down on our steam boiler's lwco. Is it ever recommended that the glass/sight gauge be blown down?



If yes, can someone explain correct procedure for doing so.



Thank you for your help.



Rob LC

Jamie Hall

If it were mine...

I wouldn't, unless it's really cruddy and you can't see the water level.  But you should clean it as part of the yearly maintenance.

RobLC

Appreciate your reply

Thank you for your reply. It seems this blowing down the glass gauge is more for bigger boilers.



We'll go with your advice.



Thanks, again.

Ron Jr._3

I agree with Jamie

Unless it was done routinely the valves might be stuck in the open position . And you run the risk of messing up the bottom drain in the lower valve ( I know by my own stupidity ! ) .



If the gauge valves look like they can handle it , you close the lower glass gauge valve and keep the upper one open . While it's steaming , you open the drain on the lower glass valve . It'll eventually steam clean the glass .

 

Gordo

I Would

It is always a good idea to verify that your sight-glass is telling you the truth at all times.



That little so-called "valve" that is on the bottom of the gauge fitting is a joke.



I'd replace it with a short 1/4"  brass nipple and a 1/4" ball valve if it will fit.



We've found a 1/4" npt x 3/4" male hose valve to which is nice to attach an old washing machine hose to and blow down the sight-glass into a near-by bucket.



Every boiler we come in contact with gets a proper sight-glass blow-down  valve.

RobLC

Good information...

Thanks to all for the feedback.



This sight glass is on a boiler for a one family home, about 3000sf. It's about 6 1/2 inches long. There is no valve or fitting under the bottom "counter-clockwise" wheel.



We'd have to put in a whole new bottom fitting for the bottom of the sight glass to accommodate a blow down valve.



We did see the National Grid tech use a CO2 cartridge to blow out the passages.



Thanks for your help guys, you give us somethings to consider.

icesailor

Piping:

Gordo,

You really know how to pipe a boiler nicely.

Someday, someone will look at those installs and wonder who the guys who installed those.

Like I do when I look at old steam or hot water systems. Or when I look at an old staiway in a old house. I wonder who the old dead guy is that did that. And did it with a sharp hand saw too.

Really nice job. I wish I had the opportunity to do something like that. But, where I work, someone would give the customer a price to do it in PEX and they would think I was a crook.  

Jean-David Beyer

I wonder.

"I wish I had the opportunity to do something like that. But, where I

work, someone would give the customer a price to do it in PEX and they

would think I was a crook."



I wonder. As a home owner more interested in long term costs, sometimes known as total-cost-of-ownership, it would be smart of me to ask why your quotation was so much higher than the low-ball competitor. And you might explain why threaded pipe or soldered copper was better than PEX in the circumstances. If you had photographs of similar installations where one was done right, and one was done sloppily, it would further justify your higher estimate to someone like me.



I guess it depends on who the customer is. If I just wanted to get a basic system working so I could flip the house, I would want the cheapest initial cost and be done with it. But if I intended to live there a long time, I would want the highest quality job: pay once, instead of over-and-over.

Ex Maine Doug

Every boiler we come in contact with gets a proper sight-glass blow-down valve

He does.  The steamer in my son's office house has nice new valves and a drain hose that reaches to the bucket under the LWCO drain.  I watched Gordon install it as well as carefully dismantle the glass and scrub it clean. 

Gordo

icesailor, doug

Thank you for your kind thoughts and words!

Gordo

National Grid CO2 Blowdown

Hmmm.  That'll work, I suppose.  But with my luck, I'd get a face full of dirty rusty hot water if I'd tried that! 



Seems like a bit of overkill for what should be such a simple operation and something you should be able to do for yourself.

 

It sounds like you got two top sight-glass fittings installed.