Steam system fire

STEAM DOCTOR

Went to give quote on steam boiler replacement. There was a fire in the house and boiler suffered extensive water damage. Is there reason to suspect that steam piping was damaged by fire? Fire was contained to basement, boiler room area( fire was related to dryer). I could pressure test. Just want to get thoughts. Thanks.

Jamie Hall

I wouldn't think so, unless the fire was hot enough to get the iron up to near a dull red. Which seems unlikely. That is, if it was black iron or steel. However, that said, I would double check for warpage or bending of longer pieces (not necessarily sags; it could go in any direction)

There is a possibility of cracking if a piece was restrained while very hot and hit with cold water, but that seems unlikely.

The boiler, of course, is likely to be junk -- or even if the block isn't the trim most likely is -- and if the block doesn't look like junk, it should be pressure tested.

STEAM DOCTOR

Thanks. Boiler is toast. Literally. Older boiler, controls melted, lots of water damage... Ditto for the water heater. Quick visual inspection of steam pipes didnt show anything out of the ordinary.

Jamie Hall

I forgot to mention -- trap elements and valve packings or flexible gaskets may have been damaged.

Steamhead

Pics?

mattmia2

I suppose there is some possibility it could have burned the dope out of the joints too, although if you got to temps that were softening iron or decomposing pipe dope, there probably wouldn't be a structure left to heat.

STEAM DOCTOR

Not the best of pictures. No traps. Valves in boiler room will be replaced. There was one solder joint that seems to have unsoldered

Steamhead

@STEAM DOCTOR , before you take the job, check what kind of circuit breaker panel the house has. You didn't say whether the dryer was gas or electric; if the latter, there have been quite a few electric dryer fires related to Federal Pacific breakers. If the panel is Federal Pacific, do not touch anything until it is completely replaced.

STEAM DOCTOR

Gas dryer.

Steamhead

OK- good idea to check this anyway. We always do, and won't touch anything fed from a FP panel.

pecmsg

That wire lath, electrical and plumbing metal would have melted long before the steel pipe was compromised!

As stated packing and gaskets will need to be changed.

STEAM DOCTOR

Assuming potential damage to electrical system. Will need electrician to certify before I touch anything electrical (hook up boiler..).

nicholas bonham-carter

Don't forget to check out the combustion air possibilities too.--NBC

Henry

The dryer fire is usually caused by lint be it gas or steam. Any gas appliance that was in a fire or flooded, must be replaced. The gas piping must be pressure tested. The gas valve on the hot water tank and boiler are toast and cannot be reused.

mattmia2

Wasn't the main issue with FPE breakers with 2 pole breakers that they would jam if only one pole had an overload (such as what would happen if the element broke and grounded in an electric dryer)?

Steamhead

They all had problems no matter what type they were. The only solution is to completely replace them. Go here for more:

https://inspectapedia.com/fpe/FPE_Stab_Lok_Hazards.php

Ironman

Leave yourself an "out" in the contract that says you're not covering any piping or components beyond the near boiler piping unless specified.

Also confirm whether you need to re-line the chimney because of the cooler flue gas temps of the new boiler.

STEAM DOCTOR

Absolutely. Standard for all contracts. Especially in situation such as this one. New boiler and old boiler will be similar. I always advice having chimney checked out. Don't take any responsibility for existing chimney. Give them number of Chimney company that I trust and advise them to call.

Shalom

I had a FPE Stab-Lok panel in my old house. I once plugged in a broiler upside down (it was an old Munsey toaster oven that you stood one way up for a toaster and the other way for an oven) and the tray fell on the element and shorted it out. The voltage dropped so far that the fluorescent light on the ceiling went out, but the breaker never tripped.

The other problem with the Stab-Lok panels was that they switched on toward the outside of the box, where every other panel switched on toward the center. The result of this was that every time you switched the breaker on, you were loosening it from the bus bar, whereas other brands of breaker turning it on pushed it in harder. Eventually they loosened up to the point of arcing.

We sold that house 20 years ago, and somehow it hasn't burnt down yet.