Is there any wonder why this Weil McLain 80 let go after only 10 years?

Double D

SWEI

Wow. Quite the header and equalizer art there.

Double D

Did the pictures show up for you @SWEI ? All I see are question marks, no pictures.

New England SteamWorks

No header offset/swing, -no surprise. Colossal fail!

Double D

The piping in the picture of the grouped dry returns is filled with water. After they group, the pipe drops to the floor and rises up to the boiler feed tank inlet. The only pipe entering the tank from overhead is the discharge side of an assumed fail, oversized, end of main F&T. I still need to go back to see the rest of the system and check the connecting load.

STEVEusaPA

Is that boiler really only 10 years old, or was it sitting somewhere for 20 years?

Double D

The owner told me he had it installed 10years ago.

Big Ed_4

What let go? The cast or the O-rings ?

Double D

I still need to look.

Abracadabra

Double D said:

The owner told me he had it installed 10years ago.

Check the serial numbers. I'm guessing there's a possibility the owner is stretching the truth. If he's not, then the answer to your question is most likely lack of maintenance. I base that on the condition of the piping, cleanliness of the area around the boiler, etc. Is there an automatic feeder? Check for leaking wet returns.

Double D

There is a leaking wet return & it's a 2 pipe Babcock vapor vacuum system with a boiler feed tank. There is a water seal preventing the system from venting. Mains are also leaking.

MilanD

How humid is the area in the summer and was there steam escaping inside the boiler room during operation (you said mains were leaking)? Everything looks very rusty. Would something like that be normal? Also, if mains are leaking, could be excess make up water and possibly chloride. Was water quality ever tested?

Plus what was said regarding swing joints.

As a side note, re water in returns, that condensate tank may be undersized. That looks like a 30 gal. May need 50, but wet pipes before it shouldn't be a problem.

It just looks too rusty in there.

MilanD

My bad, took a second look. It looks like 50 gal tank. Still may be too small for the system.

Double D

There is steam escaping inside the boiler room. Viewing the leaks in the mains and returns, I would say this boiler has taken on a lot of fresh water. I have driven past this building for at least the last 2 years ( it may have been more) noticing steam bellowing out the chimney. I have not done a test on the water quality but it is city water being used. I did mention the piping lacks swing joints along with the improperly piped colliding header and undersized equalizing line. Possibly system is producing carbonic acid. The system lacks both main and dry return venting and is operating on pressurtrols instead of vaporstats. There are also check valves on all the dry returns. @MilanD did you happen to catch the piping on the pressure control manifold?

MilanD

@Double D

I am not sure if the thing would rust out in 10 years because of steam in the room and humid conditions, but I can't see why not. There is so much rust everywhere. Humid summers and wet winters... excess moisture in the combustion air could create all kinds of problems I would venture to guess. Is this boiler rusted out, or leaking between sections? @RI_SteamWorks mentioned near boiler piping.

Water being city, depending where it is, could be having chlorides (salt roads, higher mineral water shed/river from the run-off). Who knows. Testing will tell. There is a post here on the wall, recent - last few days, the gentleman is on his 3rd boiler in 18 years. Water is main suspect.

I also bet someone installed check valves precisely as the condensate does not have room even with the 50 gal tank installed, so was backing up and either water hammering or backing into rads. Who knows. I am not sure if there are fabricators where you are who could fabricate 75 gal tank... looks like there are 2 boilers too, is that correct? Are they separately piped? I had 50 gal fabricated and it was one third cost of VBS. Here's their link on sizing condensate tanks: http://bellgossett.com/2016/03/28/sizing-boiler-feed-units-vs-condensate-return-units/

Controls don't seem to have a pig-tail on them. WM LGB have a piped loop instead of pig tails, and it looks like who ever piped this did not pipe the control branch properly - tapping is 3/4 I believe. Needs to come out, elbow or tee up then tee back to boiler, than tee down, and then tee into a branch out into control hook-up. It is essentially a piped pig tail, for all practical purposes. See this:

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/rKq6o4i65Iwovylrag67d58IeQAln39G38IUkVVHgYl?v=grid&ref_=cd_ph_share_link_copy

This may have messed with pressuretrol/vaporstat. Looks like someone installed vaporstat at some point but did it work properly given that it's membrane was also cooking?

Now, let me note I am not a pro, just a super-enthusiast who started learning about this not too long ago (some people facebook, I read old books). We have one pretty good mechanical company in my city, and I love talking to their guys whenever I can. Steam and old technologies fascinate me (my dad was a mechanical engineer old school - carburetors, bosh pumps, fuel injectors - maybe that's why). Everything mechanical and prior to digital/computer age controls just shows amazing ability of humans to understand physical world around them, regardless of cultures, geography, time or language.

Anyhow... hope this helps.

Double D

Pretty observant for not being a pro. I mentioned the control manifold because I was wondering if anyone noticed the el was pointing up instead of down. A 100gal is available and it's what Weil McLain calls for on that boiler. There is another boiler. Although it is working, it too is not properly piped. Also running a Presuretrol on a vapor system. They are both tied for first place in knuckleheading.

MilanD

Oh, and I love the 30 psi gauge. Sooo helpful!