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Identify this old hot water boiler

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mikeg2015
mikeg2015 Member Posts: 1,194
in Radiant Heating
A friend that’s a home inspector posted this on Facebook. It’s in the Milwaukee area. Looks like a coal boiler converted with a gas burner (probably 50+ years ago). There’s a video he posted too. Burner looks like a round one like off a water heater or a Mobil home style.

What’s cool is it looks like there are 3 cast iron sections bolted together horizontally on top.



Comments

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,525
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    Nothing unusual about the boiler. Would like to see the burner though if you have more pictures.

    What bothers me is there isn't a control of any type in site. No wiring....nothing

    I wouldn't expect a low water cutoff on a boiler that old but it's gotta have a high limit as a minimum
  • Danny Scully
    Danny Scully Member Posts: 1,424
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    Thatcher maybe?
  • mikeg2015
    mikeg2015 Member Posts: 1,194
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    The inspector said it’s a Capitol.

    Let me see if I can save the clip and other pictures. I’m thinking it’s a gravity boiler. I didn’t see a hot of the gas valve. Kind of thinking it might not have any safeties of any kind.
  • mikeg2015
    mikeg2015 Member Posts: 1,194
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  • mikeg2015
    mikeg2015 Member Posts: 1,194
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    I’m seeing some sort of inducer draft burner down at the bottom. The silver pipe going to the bottom could be an older low pressure gas system that was an early 1940’s conversion.
  • mikeg2015
    mikeg2015 Member Posts: 1,194
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    https://heatinghelp.com/assets/documents/UnitedStatesRadiatorCorp-BoilersRadiators1.pdf
  • ch4man
    ch4man Member Posts: 296
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    typical gas conversion burner, bryant was very popular, there were many others, roberts-gordon, gordon come to mind. some can be modernized, others cannot.
    the boiler itself is one thing, the conversion burner is the other. usually wrapped in asbestos. its rare to see a naked one
    the one pictured looks to be loaded with soot

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