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Abandoned Vintage Boilers - some photos...

ChicagoCooperator
ChicagoCooperator Member Posts: 363
in THE MAIN WALL
Today I got to inspect the basement of a historic Chicago building which had these abandoned boilers in the basement and I thought that some of you might enjoy seeing them. The steam was abandoned when the building was rehabbed 30+ years ago, however the boilers were left in place and have remained ever since. The original flue is still in use for water heaters. The basement is fairly shallow with the sidewalk being even with the top of the ceiling you see in the photos. The building engineer told me they were coal, converted to oil and then gas. He said that the oil tanks had been in place until the renovations and had taken up a big chunk of the basement and that the coal bunkers had been elsewhere, partially under the old sidewalk vaults. Anyways, enjoy.




Tinman

Comments

  • Bob Bona_4
    Bob Bona_4 Member Posts: 2,083
    Very cool! Thanks for sharing!
  • SWEI
    SWEI Member Posts: 7,356
    edited February 2015
    Any chance you could get a shot of the rating plate for the Type C? We tore out two of them (1937 & 1947, 3.85MM BTU each) on a job a few years back and I'm just wondering how similar this one might be.
  • AlCorelliNY
    AlCorelliNY Member Posts: 63
    Thank you for sharing. Only guys like us could see beauty in these old boilers.
    Al Corelli

    Solid_Fuel_Man
  • Solid_Fuel_Man
    Solid_Fuel_Man Member Posts: 2,646
    American iron! Those castings are much better than anything cast iron we have these days it seems.
    Serving Northern Maine HVAC & Controls. I burn wood, it smells good!
  • vaporvac
    vaporvac Member Posts: 1,520
    Those things are built like tanks...but I'm really grooving on that stylized font. Such care with the littlest details.
    Two-pipe Trane vaporvacuum system; 1466 edr
    Twinned, staged Slantfin TR50s piped into 4" header with Riello G400 burners; 240K lead, 200K lag Btus. Controlled by Taco Relay and Honeywell RTH6580WF
  • KC_Jones
    KC_Jones Member Posts: 5,840
    Love the doors. If I had a house big enough they would make a great wall decoration....with a little wall reinforcing!
    2014 Weil Mclain EG-40
    EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Boiler Control
    Boiler pictures updated 2/21/15
  • SWEI
    SWEI Member Posts: 7,356
    I have two sets of doors with frames. Figure they would look great behind the bar -- perhaps even chrome plated.
  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,578
    You can tell the lettering was done by hand,in those days, and not by computer controlled milling machine. It has such life in its appearance, and execution.
    Great stuff!--NBC
  • ChicagoCooperator
    ChicagoCooperator Member Posts: 363
    If we get the job there I'll be sure to get more pictures. Depending upon what way we go with the project, one of the boilers might get removed and might have to be chopped up for it (only place foundation is not at the basement floor level). I'll sell pieces to you guys (or the building maybe).
  • Don_197
    Don_197 Member Posts: 184
    I have taken care of a LOT of those old Kewanees on Edwards AFB California.........almost without exception that is the heating plant of choice for the hangars down there 8-)
  • RobG
    RobG Member Posts: 1,850
    Those doors would be great for a wood fired pizza oven. The majority of the customers wouldn't appreciate them though.
    KC_Jones
  • Don_197
    Don_197 Member Posts: 184
    I have a door off a residential Birtchfield that I was planning to do just that with 8-)

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