Spencer Boiler

heathermwilliams

Can anyone tell me the age of this boiler? Or where I can get any info?

Steamhead

Now there's a blast from the past! Spencer was one of the best boilers you could get starting in the 1920s. This company made both steel and cast-iron boilers in both residential and commercial sizes. They marketed the "magazine-feed" system of burning coal which fed the coal into the firing zone gradually, maintaining a hotter, cleaner fire under lower rates of combustion, and which worked with no moving parts.

I believe sometime during or after World War II, Spencer was absorbed into the AVCO company whose main business was aviation. Have to check my old ASHVE Guides to verify this though.

I was not aware that Burnham had acquired the Spencer name though, but the tag on this boiler plainly shows this. Burnham also acquired the American-Standard line of cast-iron boilers in the early 1970s.

The third pic shows a "year built" designation which I believe says 1970. So that answers the age question.

As to the type of boiler, all I can tell is it's made of cast-iron, from the ASME "H" stamp on the tag, and that it's a three-pass boiler which usually means it runs with good efficiency. This must be in a larger building, from its size.

The MD-910302-01 tells me it's in Maryland. What part?

Chester9

From the boiler stamping it indicates this boiler was manufactured in 1979, the name plate indicates it was produced as a low pressure steam (15 psi) boiler and is a three pass scotch marine boiler. Spencer was acquired by Burnham in 1973 and they continued the Spencer brand for 6-8 years after the purchase. The boiler is being fired with a IC (Industrial Combustion) burner. It appears that the factory installed insulation has been replaced.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Spencer, Pacific, Kewanee, Bigelow, Dillon, Superior Combustion Ind. , I'm sure there are dozens more that I can't remember.................long gone although many still running.

A steel boiler can always be fixed although it may not be cost effective to do so. You would be surprised how long they can keep them running especially in NY City when there 3 or 4 floors below grade and replacement cost is through the roof

Dontheplumber

My in laws have a house in Thompson PA where the inventor and former owner of the house G F Spencer that started The Spencer Steam Heater Co. Little did I know the house he grew up in is now a house that you can visit an stay in. It has a book on a coffee table with wonderful history of the family, I thought it was pretty cool so I had to share!

EBEBRATT-Ed

Spencer's where fairly popular boilers. Not sure when they went out of business 1950s????