Need Recommendation Welder NYC Area Cracked Peerless 700

steambloke

Need recommendation on experienced welder in NYC area

The boiler is cracked on top of the first section nearest the front/burner mounting side.
Crack is about 6-7 inches long as seen thru top flue opening

Should I stop drill the crack?

Oil Fired Steam Boiler-Peerless 700 series 4 section GBTU 446K stands about 5ft tall

steambloke

OL' Smokey needs to be replaced but until then any advice is appreciated.

Oil Fired Steam Boiler- Peerless 700 series 4 section GBTU 446K stands about 5ft tall
Great boiler never had a problem but its time is near.

The boiler is cracked on top of the first section nearest the front/burner mounting side.
Crack is about 6-7 inches long as seen thru top flue opening.

Should I stop drill the crack and have it welded?
Any recommendations on a experienced welder in NYC area?
OR
Use Hercules Boiler Solder or Hercules Boiler Liquid?
Do you leave that in or flush it out after period of time?
OR
Many old threads and a boiler tech mentioned the "Oatmeal" or flax seed fix.
What the heck, have to go to the health food store for a boiler fix.
Worried about fouled up controls with this method.

Long time Holohan library reader, seminars at Riccardo's
Many thanks to all who keep this site working.

ScottSecor

I am not familiar with the Peerless 700 series boilers, but I think you need at least a new boiler section. Cast iron boiler sections are nearly impossible to weld successfully. I have been using two very experienced welders for over twenty years and neither one would touch that job. I would say at best there is a ten percent chance of a acceptable repair.

If money is tight I would suggest reaching out to your local Peerless supplier or your distributor. Make sure you have the model and serial number in front of you and ask if a new cast iron section is available (I can't tell if it's an end section or a intermediate from your photo). Your only other choice may be to replace the boiler.

ScottSecor

I would advise against any boiler crack/hole filling compound.

Quick story, homeowner finds his steam boiler is leaking slightly and cannot afford to fix or replace the boiler. He purchases some form of stop leak and it buys him a week or two. He then calls us to install a new boiler. Everything goes well on this emergency install and customer is happy. A day later we get a call that most of the radiators are not getting hot and the new boiler is short cycling. We wrongly assume that the boiler still has oils and crud inside so we skim add tsp and flush it a few more times. After two or three days of re-cleaning the brand new boiler we realize that almost every radiator vent in the house is clogged with the "stop leak" that the owner added recently. We also learned that one of the steam pipes was also clogged. So while the stop leak product did allow the customer to run the boiler a little longer, it ended up adding a significant cost to the boiler replacement job.

JohnNY

Abetta Boiler and Welding on the lower east side is the welder I use but they're prohibitively expensive and I'd bet they wouldn't attempt to make that repair either. You need a new section or boiler just like Scott says.

EBEBRATT-Ed

@steambloke , What is that a picture of? It doesn't look like cast iron to me. If it's steel or stainless steel it can be welded......by the right welder with a repair stamp. ASME

cutter

To weld cast iron with an electrode the cast needs to be preheated. Not sure what temp. most likely enough to damage the sealing of the sections. To oxygen/acetylene weld the crack that would definitively make the adjoining sections leak. Both methods require slow cooling.

You might try JB weld. JB weld makes some good stuff. You won't damage anything.