Episode II: Attack Of The Chlorides

New England SteamWorks

Or, Two Holes For The Price Of One!

Pity the young new homeowners: Not one, but two boilers corroded above the water line in the rear section and steaming up the chimney.

New England SteamWorks

There's only one solution for this mess: MegaSteam!



The system was split in two, probably when these two boilers went in. We are going to put it back together.

Heat goes down tomorrow. Busy day in store, down to 25º and snow, but it couldn't wait. We had to add water to one boiler every two hours, and it ran constantly...

Fred

What a shame, and all that copper too!

LionA29

Sad!

Fred

Looking great!

EzzyT

Looks great

upstateben

I cant help but notice the water heaters are fed by gas. @RI_SteamWorks if i may ask, how did you sell the customer on oil when so many people are running away from it? Also the installation thus far looks fantastic as always.

Ironman

Show some more pics when you're done.

New England SteamWorks

As to those folks "running away", -there are none so blind as those who will no see. There is no better steam boiler, and no better protection against the dreaded chlorides than MegaSteam. It is oil only. And there is no better service than the service from your friendly neighborhood oil man. Every time you buy oil, or every time you buy gas, there is a profit in there. The difference is, a lot of the profit in the oil redounds to the customer. The profit from the gas is never to be seen again.

If you are a gas customer we take very good care of you.

But if you are an oil customer, you own me. Twentyfour seven. Threehundred sixty five. For life.

I don't find it difficult at all to be honest.

New England SteamWorks

More: Steam boilers need annual service. They need their pigtails and low water cutoffs cleaned, the wet returns (and sometimes boiler) blowdown, sight gauge cleaned, someone to pay attention to the readings on the VXT, in addition to an overall inspection. If you are an oil customer, your get that every year. Guaranteed. If you're gas, -you never have it until it's too late and there's a problem. And then who do you call?

upstateben

My comment was made not as a plug for gas but just out of admiration of your ability to retain oil clients when gas is clearly in the home.

New England SteamWorks

> @Ironman said:
> Show some more pics when you're done.

Promise. Ilka's looking for another 15 minutes of fame, I'm sure!

Fishin_Rod

My boiler looked just like the ruined ones. A cast iron end section rotted out in just over one year. The installer replaced it under warranty, and said is was a casting defect. Four more sections went out over the next two years. Labor costs are killing me, and the manufacturer said no more - it must be a problem on my end.

What is the correct maintenance on the boiler to reduce this risk of massive corrosion? Can you get a piping system that creates galvanic problems, perhaps aided by an improper homeowner repair? Is there oxygen drawing into the system due a leaking condensate return line? Are there hard water problems due to the local water supply chemistry?

Any of the experts have good comments on these problems, or should I start another thread?

Thanks,
Rod

BobC

You should start a new thread in the steam section so more people see this.

Where do you live, some areas are known to have problems with chlorides in the water and that will kill cast iron. Are there any chemicals near the boiler that might be causing a problem? Open containers of bleach, detergents, or rack salt can be a problem.

Bob

Fishin_Rod

Bob,

Thanks for the advice - I am new to the forum.

I will start a new thread titled, "Preventing Boiler Corrosion".

Rod

New England SteamWorks

Long day, but she's had her initial skim and is up and running. Too tired for anything more...

Ironman

Nice.

At first glance, it looked as though the circ and expansion tank were connected to the equalizer. But, I'm 61; it's 9:30 on Friday night. Cut me a little slack.

I hope your gonna replace that POJ CycleGuard with a LWCO that's made for pros.

Gordo

@RI_SteamWorks : Thank you for mounting the VXT the way you did.

Fishin_Rod

RI,

I am new to the forum, but I have already learned a lot.

For instance, I didn't know you were supposed to leave a guard dog on location for supervision after the initial skim .

Rod

gerry gill

what were the chloride levels in this water?

New England SteamWorks

gerry gill said:

what were the chloride levels in this water?

66.2 ppm.

Not worried though. Unless and until MegaSteam is proven not to be the antidote to chloride corrosion (and that hasn't happened so far in 10 years) I am assuming the problem is solved. Of course, the usual caveats about water consumption must be scrupulously observed. Having said that though, I am sure there are plenty of MegaSteams out there in the world with leaking vents and an auto feeder without a counter. And still, -no reports of block corrosion.

Beyond that, the two biggest markers I have observed for early block failure is a Burnham V series or a copper header. These folks had both.

Sailah

And to think all I did yesterday was replace a single vent. install looks great.

EzzyT

Beautiful install as always @RI_SteamWorks