Steam Master Tablet Alternative

Steve_210

Hi Guys - Have been using steam master tablets for years, but they don't seem to be available anywhere. Can someone recommend a replacement? What are you guys using now?

CantabHeat

I believe 8-way has similar active ingredients and also provides the color indicator. Have used it for a few seasons now and appears to have completely stopped any corrosion... water stays clear all season. 

Fred

You might call Barnes and Jones. I know a year or two ago, when the tablets became scarce, they bought a few cases to resell.

ethicalpaul

Rectorseal 8-way is working well for me, but, and I say this every time so I'm sorry (not sorry) about the repetitiveness, but use way less than the label says.

I recommend using cheap litmus paper strips from Amazon ($4) to get the ph around 8 or 9. Much more than that and you risk surging.

ChrisJ

ethicalpaul said:

Rectorseal 8-way is working well for me, but, and I say this every time so I'm sorry (not sorry) about the repetitiveness, but use way less than the label says.

I recommend using cheap litmus paper strips from Amazon ($4) to get the ph around 8 or 9. Much more than that and you risk surging.

I suspect the surging is caused by other things in the additive other than pH. Steamaster does the same thing and I don't think it's pH is much higher, if higher at all than 9.

Regardless, too much is bad.

I stopped checking my pH because Steamaster turns blue by nature if it's too low and purple if it's safe.

The Steam Whisperer

I second the comment about using about 1/2 the dose they recommend. Here on Chicago water, we were seeing Ph around 10.5 at the normal dosage.... great to stop corrosion on ferrous but can start eating at brass and copper. Keeping the water a very light purple tint seems about right.....ph around 9.5. WE've never had trouble with surging at the full dosage... unless the boiler is dirty. The 8 way has anti-foam agents I believe. We've been trying out some powdered treatments that seem to work just as well.

CantabHeat

Only time I’ve seen surging issues is if the system was dirty. 8-way is a “cleaner” before it’s a “maintainer.” If there is gunk in the system it will get knocked loose so there is certainly an element of “things get worse before they get better.” If you start putting additives in a system that was previously running chocolate milk in the sight glass expect to do several flushes to get all the junk out before things run smoothly. Once all the gunk is out though I’ve seen no issues with surging on a clean system.

Steve_210

That time of year again, I seem to find about two cases every year and now I can’t find them again. Anyone know where I can find steam Master tablets or equivalent.

Dan_NJ

They re-branded it as "Scaleflush" then they seem to have dropped it? The link down a bit on this page is a 404 error (not found), but it does mention "Formerly known as Steamaster".
https://rectorseal.com/heating-lp
Isn't 8-way more or less the same formula though?

ChrisJ

@ethicalpaul

dko

Definitely a difference (i mean you are comparing liquid to a tablet), but what the end result is after dissolved in water.. beats me.

ethicalpaul

All these products are very similar. There are a few different ingredients that are described as "rust inhibitors" which all raise the PH. There are some other ingredients that are described as "descalers" (probably the citric acid in SteamMaster, shown above--I wouldn't put acid in my boiler though). Basically pick your favorite, put enough in to get the PH to 11 and then rest easy.

My fave as most people have heard me say is 8-way because it's so convenient.