Float LWCO on Burnham IN4

Long Beach Ed

Why does Burnham offer their IN4 with a float low water cutoff (M&M 47) when they permit no more than 1/10 of one gallon of make up water added per month? 



Try maintaining a 47 low water cutoff draining less than a gallon a year. 



Come on guys!  I have to talk to customers.  What do I tell the ones who read this stuff? 

FJL

Impossible

Yes.  I agree.  I have an IN11 in my four unit building.  I live in an old building and my water can get dirty and I need to drain way more than a gallon during the year.  Feels like a gallon each time to get the water to run clear. 

Hap_Hazzard

I'm just a noob, but

I thought make-up water was water introduced to replace losses due to steam and water leaks. Putting back what you drain out (through blow-down, flushing, skimming, etc.) doesn't count.



Also, you're probably not draining as much as you think. I used to blow down my float-type LWCO every weekend into a two gallon bucket, and it never got full. I think half the water probably evaporated between blow-downs.



I think the real problem is that blow-downs make it really hard to tell how much make-up water you're adding, because when you do it the water level is fluctuating, and it's next to impossible to tell when you've replaced exactly what you've let out or if the water level will be anywhere near the line when all the condensate returns. You'd almost have to measure how much you take out (which wouldn't even account for the steam that escapes) and replace exactly that amount, then check the level between cycles to see how much make-up water it needs, and I doubt anybody is that meticulous.



Besides, who uses measures like 1/10 gallon anyway? Is anybody really going to notice when they've crossed that line from 12.8 ounces/month to 12.9 ounces?