Uh-Oh: Polar Vortex Collides With Chlorides

New England SteamWorks

What to do when you're faced with a chloride hole the size of a golf ball and the temperature is headed for single digits,



the existing header is unacceptable,



and the returns have no venting?



You get real busy real fast!

DavidK_2

If I did this for a living I would carry around a bunch of portable electric heaters I could loan to my clients. Looks like that job might need them

Fred

He'll have a new boiler in there and running in a matter of hours! He's good, that way.

DavidK_2

Gilmorrie

What appears to be the relief valve discharge line has a shutoff valve - not acceptable. Clearly, maintenance has been lacking - a bit late now, though. Maybe go to a motel?

Fred

Gilmorrie said:

What appears to be the relief valve discharge line has a shutoff valve - not acceptable. Clearly, maintenance has been lacking - a bit late now, though. Maybe go to a motel?

The PRV is before that shutoff valve. I'm sure he has to use that same tapping for a skim port too. I have to have the same set up but I put a plug in the port end of mine just so it doesn't accidently get opened.

New England SteamWorks

It's cold!

DavidK_2

That is why when you need a professional, you hire one.

DavidK_2

:cheers:

lchmb

very cold..supposed to be minus 20 or lower here tonight/tomorrow..

New England SteamWorks

A long day, but she's running!



A little better too, than the last time around. She has venting now:

New England SteamWorks

In the "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" category:

Gauges:



Here is the original from which I copied, but neglected to note the author:



I am sure he will step forward so proper attribution may be assigned! And thank you in advance.

Now I am going to try and thaw out...

EzzyT

Beautiful install as always @RI_SteamWorks, no need to thank me.

Grallert

nice work

Sailah

I hope they brought hot cocoa for you that was a nice install on short notice

Boon

Some people buy a house near their work or in a particular school district for their kids. My next house will be within the service area of @RI_SteamWorks [or one of you other pros]. And the house I buy better have a crappy, broken, ill-conceived scrap-heap of a heating system so I can get a real one installed.

Mark N

Has the water been tested for high chlorides? What is the level? What is the plan to protect the new boiler from graphitic corrosion?

New England SteamWorks

They were very kind (and so are you guys). No hot cocoa, but plenty of eggnog!

New England SteamWorks

Mark N said:

Has the water been tested for high chlorides? What is the level? What is the plan to protect the new boiler from graphitic corrosion?

It's a bizarre story. The current owners are new. The old boiler was 8 years old. But after moving in they found photographic evidence of a different, very old, steam boiler, that had been there in the past year or two.

So the thinking goes that the boiler was purchased used and installed to speed up the process of selling the home. Whether they knew it was holed is another question.

At any rate, the area of the install is very close to our shop and it's not a chloride ravaged area, so it makes sense, all in all, that the boiler failed somewhere else.

But we installed a VXT and the religion of absolute minimal water consumption was suitably conveyed. Nothing like a holed boiler to make for speedy converts!

Fred

Wow! Just Wow @RI_SteamWorks . It is a thing of beauty.

GregWeiss

@RI_SteamWorks what brand of boiler had the hole?

hvacfreak2

Really nice !!! That is how I piped my skim tapping ( boiler drain on the bottom ) , I connect a hose and come back later.

What mesh size strainers do you use for the vents ?

New England SteamWorks

GregWeiss said:

@RI_SteamWorks what brand of boiler had the hole?

Burnham...

hvacfreak2

Planned obsolescence or cost saving effort in the cast iron raw materials versus " chlorides ". It seems Burnham V7 and 8 are the only boilers that are chloride sensitive. The company name change leads me to believe that someone has something to hide.

Mark N

Its not really known if chlorides did this boiler in. According the RI Steamworks it might have been bought used and reinstalled here. It might have been done in by excessive feed water because of a leak in the system.

GregWeiss

No surprise there