steam boiler leak

elfie

encountered a 6 section cast iron steam boiler (40 gal tank) that had the lower discharge valve left slight open



over a couple of mnths 10,000 gals of fresh water flowed thru steam boiler while in use (6 gallons an hr).



how much damage can this due to the boiler? any special maintenance needed to deal with this leak issue.



thanks

Dave in QCA

Oooops!

Who left the valve open?  A home owner?  A tinkerer in the building?  Perhaps the boiler room should be locked!

steam boiler leak



From the your comments that follow, it sounds like the boiler does not actually have a leak.  Is that correct?



encountered a 6 section cast iron steam boiler (40 gal tank) that had the lower discharge valve left slight open



Real big Oooops!  Lock up that boiler room!





over a couple of mnths 10,000 gals of fresh water flowed thru steam boiler while in use (6 gallons an hr).



how much damage can this due to the boiler?



Well, if it was condensate running down the drain during the heating season, the boiler would be toast!  Since this was boiler water, it is not nearly as big of a deal.  There would not have been a build up of chlorides or minerals, but there would have been a steady flow of oxiginated water and that is not good.  Was the boiler running when this happened or was it mainly during the summer season?  If it was during the heating season, how could anybody let a boiler run for 2 months without ever looking at it?  As for how much damage, that would be only a guess, at best.  All you can do is cross your fingers and hope for the best.





any special maintenance needed to deal with this leak issue.





Close the valve and make sure whoever did this understands the consequences of their actions.  Take steps to assure it doesn't happen again!

elfie

condensate return vs boiler water

thanks

what diff does it make (condensate return water vs boiler water) isnt both types of water running down the drain



as i see it the water in system was being replaced on a daily basis.



does the impact from the oxygenated water reach the pipes and rads or is it all deoxygenated at this point



thanks

Dave in QCA

explanation

This is basic physical chemestry



When water is boiled, steam is given off.  Any minerals present in the water stay in the water, they do not travel with the steam.  So, if you are losing condensate or steam, over time you will have the accumulation of all the minerals that were once in the water that was lost.   If you have a boiler than contains 20 gallons and you boil the water away, lose all of the condensate and replace it with more water that has minerals, in your case repeat the process until you have lost and replaced 10,000 gallons, you would be amazed what the minerals from 10,000 gallons would look like and what it would do to a boiler if it were concentrated in 20 gallons of water.



If you are leaking or wasting boiler water, that water has minerals and you're replacing it with the same thing.  There is no change except for the fact that when fresh water is put in a boiler, it should be boiled upon filling so that the oxygen is given off.  Having a continual flow of water through the boiler would not allow that process to come to completion. 



No, oxygen corrosion as a result of the above only affects the boiler.