Another Mystery! Steam Boiler Flooding With Indirect.

New England SteamWorks

We have a steam boiler with an indirect water heater that keeps flooding water. We shut off the master boiler water feed, and this had no effect, so not from there. That leaves the Indirect.

We all know that a leaking coil inside a boiler can flood the boiler. My question is: Can a leaking coil inside an indirect also flood the boiler? Anyone ever experience this?

The indirect circulates the boiler water through it’s coil, BTW.

JUGHNE

High pressure to low pressure.
80 PSI in tank.......2 PSI inside tank coil and boiler??

With DHW pressure tank down to 0 PSI would steam boiler water raise pressure inside tank?

JUGHNE

IIWM, I would isolate the boiler water from indirect tank and leave the pipes open at the tank and see what comes out.
Makes an obvious "show me" for the customer.

ChrisJ

I'm sorry @New England SteamWorks But we only allow one steam mystery at a time and you still haven't figured out the previous one.

Please return next week after you make us wait over a week to find out who was right.

New England SteamWorks

ChrisJ said:

I'm sorry @New England SteamWorks But we only allow one steam mystery at a time and you still haven't figured out the previous one.

Please return next week after you make us wait over a week to find out who was right.

LOL...

New England SteamWorks

Haven’t posted any photos in awhile, we’re building this EG55 at the moment. Once we get that done, we’ll had to mystery #1 next week. Looks like Tuesday

ethicalpaul

If I keep working on my steam boiler, will I get arms like that

New England SteamWorks

That’s what 36” and 48” pipe wrenches will do for you!

ChrisJ

New England SteamWorks said:

That’s what 36” and 48” pipe wrenches will do for you!

Where's your plumbers torpedo! How can you tell how much pitch you've got with that.

STEAM DOCTOR

> @New England SteamWorks said:
> We have a steam boiler with an indirect water heater that keeps flooding water. We shut off the master boiler water feed, and this had no effect, so not from there. That leaves the Indirect.
>
> We all know that a leaking coil inside a boiler can flood the boiler. My question is: Can a leaking coil inside an indirect also flood the boiler? Anyone ever experience this?
>
> The indirect circulates the boiler water through it’s coil, BTW.

Hi. Almost definitely the indirect. I have seen this in the flesh. Once the indirect's coil get a hole,the indirect and the boiler become one unit. The city water will enter the indirect, enter the coil and enter the boiler. I had one customer who had water coming out of radiators because of precisely this situation. Indirect was only few years old

Larry Weingarten

Hi, I’d put a pressure gauge on the indirect drain and shut off water to the tank. See what the gauge does.

New England SteamWorks

> @ChrisJ said:
> (Quote)
> Where's your plumbers torpedo! How can you tell how much pitch you've got with that.

If you look closely, it is laying on top of the boiler!

New England SteamWorks

I had the customer shut of the cold water supply to the indirect overnight: No flooding.

mattmia2

Advise them to be careful with the water in the indirect since without the city pressure pushing the water from the indirect to the boiler the DHW can now be contaminated with the boiler water.

Bill_Kitsch69

This is a test. This is only a test.