Very Unusual Circumstance

Prov1man

Help!!! I had an old 100,000 btu Slant Fin Steam boiler that had a hole in the back of it. Obviously I had to replace it which I did but before doing so I had one plumber come by who will remain nameless suggest to pour black pepper into the relief valve. Somehow someway he believed it would plug the hole. Needless to say that backfired big time. Not only did it not work, after he poured a very fair amount of pepper into the fired up boiler my house filled up with pepper stenched smoke. The new boiler was installed 2 days later and we are still trying to get the pepper out of the closed system. We so far took off 2 radiators and flushed them out and flushed out the return line and flushed the boiler out repeatedly. One plumbing supply house employee offered that by pouring a quart of vanilla extract into the new boiler will remedy the situation by neutralizing the burnt black pepper smell that won't leave my house. Has anyone out there come across this strange circumstance before or can anyone corroborate the vanilla extract option. Dan you were referred to me by a close friend and well respected plumber that unfortunatly I did not consult with pryor to my "situation." Thanks for any help that can be offered.

nicholas bonham-carter

flax seed, not pepper

ground Cinnamon is good on sewage backups for neutralizing the smell, but i would put nothing in the boiler, except what the manufacturer recommends for the final cleaning/skimming. that final cleaning should remove everything in the boiler,

mnake sure your main vents are letting all the air out of the system in the basement, and not the radiator vents, and keep the pressure as low as possible.--nbc

fixitguy

That's hilarious

40 something years ago my friends dad, who was a subway mechanic for the NYC TA, told me that. He said it worked great for leaky auto radiators. I think this urban legend belongs with banana peel in the differential and oatmeal for stop leak. I remember him fondly when I use the awesome jumper cables he made me from traction motor connectors.

Paul48

Pepper

It will work in a car radiator.I've done it and seen it done many times( back in the day). But, there's a big difference between what is going on in a car radiator, and what is going on in a steam boiler.

Hap_Hazzard

Vanilla vs. Pepper

I think a little pepper could neutralize a lot of vanilla.



You don't want to put vanilla in your boiler water, regardless of smell, for one simple reason: it will foam. And even if it worked, what's it going to smell like in six months? What are you going to do if you don't like the way it smells, pour in chocolate syrup--or licorice?



You got into this mess because somebody did something crazy. More craziness won't get you out of it.

Paul48

Steak

How bout a ribeye.....I like blackened steak. :-P

Rod

Rhomar Water Management

Hi- I don't think you want to add Vanilla Extract  to your boiler as that may be "jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire" so to speak.

Why don't you call Rhomar Water and discuss your problem with them and ask what they would recommend.     http://www.rhomarwater.com/products/residential-steam-system/

They are good people to work with and I'm sure that they can recommend something to you.  Possibly one of their products, like Hydro Steam 9150, that might be of help to you as it is a boiler cleaner that can be left in the system, if necessary, for several weeks and will clean out organics.etc. during the operation of the system. 

- Rod

nicholas bonham-carter

time for skimming the boiler

following peerless' instructions, add washing soda through the pressure relief valve port, over-fill, and simmer for a while, using the switch to prevent a full boil. then comes the fun part, let the water trickle out through the skimming port, as you add tiny amounts of water, to keep the trickle going, and empty the bucket.--nbc