RTV Silicone on Chamber Install?

Basementour

Greetings. I have a old Burnham V-33 in the basement. I was told it need a new chamber. Not wanting to DIY, I told them to go ahead and swap it out. I came home and found this mess. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't RTV supposed to go in between things? It looks like they emptied an entire tube on the outside of the seams. There is a spot where the outer housing was pried out that has a glob of uncured RTV the size of an apple (detail image). Please advise. Thank you. 

billtwocase

I hope

you didn't pay them for this mess. There is only a brick target wall in those, and being a wet base boiler, that is all it needs. The silicone is probably smelling pretty good about now. Frank (steamhead) knows that burner/boiler in and out. I'm sure he will comment on that disgrace. 

Basementour

No payment yet...

Thanks. No I have not paid for the job yet, and yes - it smells terrible. Coming from an automotive background, this just looks all wrong to me. EDIT: The installer and company are saying this is OK. I'm of the mind this job needs to be done over, and done right this time around. I need a little help here. Thanks.

Basementour

Bump. Please Help.

I am still reaching out for some advice and help here. The installer is trying to tell me this is an acceptable repair. I turned the furnace off almost a week ago. I do not want to run it like this.

Zman

Hire a Pro

I would suggest hiring someone else to repair it correctly. Carefully photograph and document what the rest of the job looks like. If the original knucklehead pursues payment, send the photo's to the BBB and  licensing board. You could also suggest he cover the extra cost to clean up the mess, as well as your time in dealing with him. This will likely deter him from pursuing payment.

Carl

billtwocase

also

Just because someone slopped that silicone on surfaces that does not require sealing, doesn't confirm that the correct, if any, work was performed inside the chamber area. I would have a pro open it up and check it out, as Carl pointed out

billtwocase

personally

I doubt that front plate and burner was removed, as it would need to be in order to do the work. Those bolts generally break, and the bolt heads show no sign of being touched

Steve Whitbeck

RTV

I doubt that RTV would hold up to the temperature that that cast iron door is going to get.

Basementour

Thanks to All

Thanks to all. This entire situation really is a disaster. The company responsible for this job is a local heating oil supplier and furnace repair outfit. I had no reason to think they would do work like this. I turned the furnace off at the source. I'll start calling some other other companies next week after the holiday weekend. Again, I really appreciate the help. 

Steamhead

Well, it's messy for sure

but whether or not they replaced the chamber remains to be seen. If you can open the viewing port, you should see a nice new target wall if they did.



The V-3 series doesn't use a bathtub chamber like its predecessor the A-3 did. Instead it uses a target wall, front refractory (fits into the cast-iron front plate) and rug.



That's a Sunray FC Bantam burner, which despite its age is still a flame-retention type. When properly set up this combination runs well.

Basementour

Repaired!

Just wanted to say thanks for all your help here. The company wanted to make to correct the situation, and sent in a different technician who was familiar with this boiler. He removed the front plate, cleaned out (and off) all the silicone, and replaced the bolts on the front plate.