Pics of 23 year old weil mclain FAILED end section of boiler

ALIGA

Kept one end section of a 23 year old weil mclain eg boiler.



Based on the pics below, it looks like seal failure between sections, how could this have been prevented. Or is this expected behavior for a unit of this age.



Thank you.

kcopp

Please give...

us more info about the boiler and system... how was it piped? Steam? How water? etc.

Charlie from wmass

did it dry fire

was there water in the boiler? Any chance you had a photo of the boiler before it was removed? Do you have a photo of the new boiler?

ALIGA

Sorry i dont know the history of the boiler

I ran it for one year. I do know the lwco used to turn the boiler off. and the water feeder used to run at least couple times a week.



Pic of old boiler, as it was being dismantled, and pic of new boiler, drop header will be redone in 3" with dual risers once the winter season ends.

Charlie from wmass

The draw rod

is rotted away. No way that boiler had a chance. As far gone as it looks it was dead years ago. The LWCO was simply doing it's job. The boiler may have had petroleum products in it that were never skimmed out, that is just guessing though.

ALIGA

Sorry, I cut the rod when it was being dismantled

the rod was intact before. as i was cutting it, i heard a pop, it was under alot of tension.

Hap_Hazzard

I take it there was only one riser.

So that rules out one theory.



It looks like the second and third sections started leaking first, followed by the first and second.



Are there leaks in the system that might have caused it to lose water before the boiler started leaking?



There's nothing like a fluctuating water level to take years off the life of a boiler, and letting leaks go unfixed is a good way to get that, especially if you rely on the automatic water feeder to maintain the water level. Just look at how far the water level has to drop before the LWCO activates the feeder. If it's set up right it should be about 4 to six inches. That's a lot of fluctuation. That means there are extended periods of time when the top four to six inches of each section's heat exchange surface that's supposed to be in contact with water isn't. It can only dissipate heat through the adjoining metal, which is pretty hot already, but it isn't completely dry; it's being splashed with boiling water, causing irregular contraction patterns. Then, after the most stressful of these periods, when the water level is at its lowest point, the boiler shuts down and is rapidly filled up with cold water.



And this happens over and over.



This is how to get 50 years out of a boiler in less than 25.

ALIGA

that is correct, single riser

I will be installing a second riser with a dropped header once weather gets warmer.

prior to the boiler failing, i did not see any leaks.

I am wondering if during off seasons if the boiler should be drained or fully filled with water, so the seals either fully dry or fully wet.  Just trying to get better life out of the new boiler as it will be closely maintained, unlike the old one i inherited.

Hap_Hazzard

A boiler re-pipe is a nice summer project.

Make sure you leave time to fix any system leaks that rear their ugly heads.



I see that the system riser is roughly above the boiler. This often tempts people to tee the riser into the middle of the header, but don't fall for it. This is something that's come up a lot: the dreaded "bullhead tee." There are lots of threads on header design.



Also, if you keep the water feeder, remember that it's an emergency device, not a convenience. If it ever gets activated, it's a call to action. You should be regularly checking the water level and keeping it right on the line. The water feed is just there to prevent you from losing heat if something breaks and you suddenly start losing water.

Jrock

Question on size

Was that old boiler a EG55 & was the old header piping 3" ?

ALIGA

old one was a eg65- 250k btu

header piping was reused on new 200k btu boiler.

RDSTEAM

Hungry water

All that fresh water ate that boiler for breakfast, lunch and dinner not awful though if you got two decades out of it. I've seen much better and also much worse.