Thinking about buying a used boiler.

frobertsnh

Hello all, This is my first time posting anything here but I have read a lot of useful threads here so I thought I would post a question. We just bought our first house a couple years ago. The house has a single pipe steam set up for central heating. It is an old, old, old Weil Mclain coal stoker retrofitted with an oil burner. I have done everything I can think of to eke out more efficiency from this thing but I think it is a lost cause. I have done a boat load of research on steam over the last year and understand the importance of the near boiler piping. Let's just say that the near boiler piping on our boiler is a total disaster. We have interviewed plumbers who all want to change us over to forced hot water for a hefty price tag. I interviewd one plumber who was willing to change out the boiler with a new steam boiler but I quickly realized that he hadn't done his homework as far as near boiler piping practices. He wanted to set me up with a welded header and had never even heard of a dop header. I let him go. we don't have a lot of money to work with but I really want to upgrade to something relatively newer. So I found a guy is redoing his central heating system and is selling a 6 year old peerless boiler sized perfectly for our system for short money. The best part is that the it appears that the pipe fitting was done by a real pro. I want to use a chain cutter and cut his system at the horizontal mains and attach it to my system with nipples and unions. Is there any room for optimism in this plan or am I nuts? Here's a pic. Thanks

nicholas bonham-carter

peerless transplant

if you have made certain of the ratings on the boiler being suitable for your radiation total edr, and that it is not in bad condition, and will not have much money invested by the time it is all done, then i would say go for it. too bad it is winter.

can you pipe it in next to your present boiler, so as to be flexible about the installation completion?

it would be better to take apart rather than cut the piping, as there is at least 1 union there.

are there any problems with permits and inspections to consider? let us know how this turns out, and don't forget to pickup any leftover main vents as the new one will need more venting than the old.--nbc

frobertsnh

Codes and permits what are those? I live in the live free or die state. Ha Ha Ha.

Thanks for your comments. EDR figures are in the green with a little extra. The boiler appears to have been pretty well maintained. Are there any particular things to look for in a peerless that could be bad? Unfortunately there are not enough unions to take it apart enough to get it out of the cellar in one piece. I was planning on cutting it at the two risers and the two horizontal mains, the equalizer has a union installed. Assuming I can back the two riser pipes out of the first two 90 fittings after I will reinstall with two nipples and a union per riser and the same for the horizontal mains, (nipples and unions into my mains). I figure with a couple of 24 in pipe wrenches and a helper I should be able to back them out. Is it bad form to unthread the risers from the boiler tappings? Will the new nipples seal? 

Long Beach Ed

Used Boiler

When analyzing the merits of buying and installing used equipment, many considerations come to mind.  Simply put, there are unknowns and variables that make used equipment, at best, a gamble.  



Certainly you can save a lot of money if the equipment is priced cheap.  You'll invest some work, whose cost is either high if you pay someone to do it or low if you do it yourself. 



If the equipment you buy is in good shape and priced right, you'll save a bundle.  If the stuff is deteriorated, you'll lose your shirt. 



What is the risk worth to you? 



I'm a big fan of used stuff.  Usually I save a bundle, but I must admit, as someone who is always looking for an angle, sometimes I get harpooned also!  



The decision is up to you.  Just go in with your eyes open.  Most folks would rather install new equipment, get a new equipment warranty and insure that their labor is not expended for naught.  

ChrisJ

why

I'm just curious why he is getting rid of the boiler.   I'm hoping its not because he is ripping the steam system out and putting in hot air.

frobertsnh

hippies

they want to heat with wood. The couple just bought the house last year. I agree that risks are risky it is all about being as calculated as possible. I plan on giving it a good looksy of course. I will keep y'all in the loop throughout the process thanks.

Abracadabra

basic leak check

At a minimum, verify the boiler works while it is still hooked up to the old house. Watch it run thru a cycle. If there's a autofeeder, see if it feeds a lot of water during a cycle, which could mean that it's been fed lots of water in it's lifetime which can deteriorate cast iron  sections. Fill the boiler with water to the header and let it sit there for a while and see if you have any leaks.  Not sure about which Peerless you are looking at, but some Peerless I know have neoprene gaskets on the sections.  

ChrisJ

neoprene gaskets

As far as I'm concerned neoprene gaskets work just as well as the steel push nipples.  Before buying my Weil-Mclain I did plenty of research and found their blocks rott out just as fast as the next guys but the gaskets seem to rarely leak.



Of course this is just my non-profiessional opinion based on research I've done but I figured I'd throw it out there anyway.

kcopp

Where in NH?

You may be able to reuse it but not likely. It may be more work that its worth.  The piping is almost custom to each boiler.

lchmb

What area?

I may be able to help you find a good steam person depending on what part of the state your in... For the cost of the boiler, the time to get it out, transport it and get it back in, you are probably just as well of to purchase a boiler and follow proper piping procedures. I would hate to see you go through all this work and have something fail in a year or two with no warranty...IMHO...

Long Beach Ed

Sounds Like...

From the questions you are asking, that you have little experience in pipe fitting.  Taking old pipes apart is probably one of the harder parts of this trade.  Do you have the tools you need?  Do you have an experienced guy you can go to for help and pointers if you encounter a problem? 



As I wrote above, you can save money with a used boiler, if it is in good condition.  But like many other things, you should know what you are doing or you can sign up for a mess. 



As Abra mentions above, at a minimum you should pressure test the boiler to insure it doesn't leak. How do I know?  Don't ask.  Handle it gently.  Those rubber-nipple boilers sometimes spring leaks if the nipples harden and the thing is bounced around. 



Do you have the tools to cut and thread pipe in place?  At a minimum you'll need those, as taking 2" nipples out of an old boiler is usually pretty difficult. 



Answer yes to all these things?  Give it a go and let us know how it works out. 



I've installed many used boilers.  Got one in my house for twenty years that was ten years old when it arrived. 

Hap_Hazzard

I'd hire a professional to take it out.

Apart from knowing the best techniques and having the right tools to get the thing out and save the most valuable reusable parts, there are also the legal issues. What happens if you get hurt on their property while you're removing the boiler? What if you cause damage to their property--or they claim you did after the fact? I'd at least want to know what all the legal issues are and how to protect myself before I got into something like this.

Hap_Hazzard

I could be wrong, but

It looks like a series EC/ECT, which has steel push nipples. Still, a leak check would definitely be a good idea. I'd also want to see the service records, check the flueways and take a peek inside with a borescope to see what kind of care it had been getting.