Another Burnham with another hole......

Kybeans403

Love the riser!!!! Will post more pics as available but this one was kind of amusing to me (not so much for customer). Went out to look on Friday for no heat call/Boiler replacement. Another hole, this time above water line and on marginally older boiler circa 2005. Customer could not comprehend what i was saying as to fresh water consistently = dead boiler. I did my best science approach and finally broke through but only after sniffing around the basement and garage for the culprit. Back wall of garage was ledge covered with peg board and I saw some discoloration on floor and board and homeowner said "don't worry it's just ground water as we live on a rock." Removed section of peg board and proceeded to stick my screw driver through the 1 1/4" return line...problem found just had to explain in different ways as to why this killed their boiler and why in had to add a significant amount of money to my bid to replace the disintegrated pipes.

Dave0176

Nice find, that little 2” copper riser isn’t doing it any justice either as it’s probably just pushing boiler water right into the main. Gotta love the hot water heating plumbers. Lol

Steamhead

For some reason they spent the extra money on a union.........

Erin Holohan Haskell

Here's more on info on why steam boilers aren’t lasting as long as their predecessors: https://heatinghelp.com/blog/nature-of-the-new-steam-beast/

PMJ

So our engineering experts in the government decide that instantaneous energy transfer efficiency trumps all other factors in the overall efficiency equation. As a result homeowners get to buy and pay to install 5 boilers over a time period where one would do before. What about all the energy consumed to make all those additional boilers? What about how much less affordable all these homes are for so many? The same thing is true for forced air furnaces. They don't last like they used to either - for the same reason.

This plan may be good for some folks in the supply chain but it surely is not good or more efficient overall for the end user. It makes homes even less affordable for our young people - something they really don't need right about now.

I find this ill advised plan which has hastened the demise of residential steam a good example of why we should question how it is we have turned the decisions about what technologies to pursue over to those who know nothing about money and even less about technology.

MilanD

> @Steamhead said:
> For some reason they spent the extra money on a union.........

Lol - Old boiler probably had it and - so what the heck, copper one should have it too - just in case you want to keep that lovely header next time you replace the boiler (smh)

@Erin Holohan Haskell Great article... does the water of the quality suggested exist anywhere anymore? Municipal water reports where our boiler is has chloride alone at a double of recommended, and hardness is at 170 ppm. Anyone else?

SlamDunk

I think this is the second post on leaking Burnham's that I have seen this week.
Must say, I am mildly concerned about my 2010 IN5. Something to keep an eye on at least.

My brother bought a house in NYC with a small Pennco boiler that wasn't even installed level (I'm guessing not level by 5-10 degrees front to back by previous owner's contractor, but it has been running flawlessly since 2003!

steamhouse

SlamDunk said:

I think this is the second post on leaking Burnham's that I have seen this week.
Must say, I am mildly concerned about my 2010 IN5. Something to keep an eye on at least.

My brother bought a house in NYC with a small Pennco boiler that wasn't even installed level (I'm guessing not level by 5-10 degrees front to back by previous owner's contractor, but it has been running flawlessly since 2003!

I wonder If this is just coincidence or not for Burnhams. Is it because they sell more units? Do we have some real numbers? I too am worried about the amount of failures I keep hearing about n this site. I just had mine installed in 2016.

Kybeans403

We typically install WM EG's so this is a little different case as no warranty attached but I've averaged maybe 15 steamers a year for the past 6 to 8 seasons. These are the first 2 Burnham units ive seen like this in a few years so my small sample size most likely doesn't mean much. We work predominantly in Fairfield County CT and Westchester County, NY and there's plenty of old systems running just fine

BobC

One of the reasons I installed the Smith G8 is because it was reportedly a heavier casting, I've also added the Steamaster tablets to the water from the get-go to keep the PH in a favorable range.

Water quality is important especially with the newer thinner castings. AFAIK the Quabbin water I use is about as good as it gets as far as water quality goes.

Bob

Kybeans403

Really good fishing as well!!

RayWohlfarth

It's not just cast iron boilers. I am seeing the same thing on commercial steel boilers as well. I had a leaking tube on a couple year old boiler and had it analyzed by a lab. The culprit was chlorine. It shocked me that there is that much chlorine in city water to attack a tube. I am also seeing the black iron nipples failing in a short amount of time. I thought it was because they were foreign nipples but have had ones from US fail as well.

EBEBRATT-Ed

@Steamhead copper solder joints don't look real spiffy. Probably had a leaker and couldn't get the water out, hence the union.......just a possibility

EBEBRATT-Ed

Disapointed in the quality of the steam boilers. Stuff that should last 20-30-40 years (it used to) now it seems were lucky to get 10 yrs. Should be able to get 20 out of them minimum

New England SteamWorks

Easy answer: MegaSteam.

Not a single report of failure.

Not to mention, the highest efficiency of any steam boiler, and the only residential boiler designed as a steamer from the get go. Hot water not allowed.

Jason_13

Let's not forget this is totally installed incorrectly, no copper. How much fresh water has been added and what was the chloride levels?

Steamhead

New England SteamWorks said:

Easy answer: MegaSteam.

Not a single report of failure.

Not to mention, the highest efficiency of any steam boiler, and the only residential boiler designed as a steamer from the get go. Hot water not allowed.

Unfortunately, Burnham has a heart attack whenever we mention running a MegaSteam with a gas burner. That company is certainly not friendly to its contractor customers who have asked for this for years. Makes you wonder why.................

BobC

I would have installed megasteam in a heartbeat but after talking to Burnham in 2012 (who would not sell the megasteam without a oil gun) I bought the Smith G8-3 (no longer made) with the EZgas gun.

I had it checked last week and it's running at 85.7%. I also just got a 9 slot diffuser that I want to try out to see if it quiets it down some. The setup has been trouble free for 5 years and counting.

Bob

New England SteamWorks

I think there's no gas gun for MegaSteam due to stack temp. But just my hunch.

And I am no fan of Burnham. If it's not MegaSteam, I never use Burnham. I've seen far too many failures with their other lines. Don't like their support, or their warranty responses. Actually, I don't like anything about them.

But MegaSteam stands alone.

Like it, or not.

Before I was into old houses I was into old boats. Every diesel ever put into a boat was designed first for a vehicle and converted for marine use. Then Yanmar developed a diesel line exclusively for boats and the marine environment. No surprise it was hands-down the best diesel you could put in a boat.

Burnham did the same with MegaSteam. Give credit where its due.