Flooding Steam Boilers during the Cooling Season

luketheplumber

Heating season is pretty much over down here in Durham NC, most days have been getting into the low 80s this past week. How effective is flooding boilers for the summer?
Does adding all that fresh oxygenated water each summer really help extend the life of a boiler or are you better off just leaving it alone?

ethicalpaul

If you flood it, definitely heat it up to push out the oxygen...but then the oxygen is in the pipes haha but I guess it's going to be there anyway. Plus the pipes are cheaper than the boiler.

More important I think, will you have a ph-boosting treatment in the water?

luketheplumber

@ethicalpaul you mean just heat it up and not boil? I don't want to throw a ton of water and hammer the main vents to death.

ethicalpaul

Yes. Heat it up to just before steaming. Or if you don't have a glass header and can't tell when that is, I think if you fill it high on the gauge glass, then heat it to boiling, then shut it down and add a few more gallons, the added water will get heated up by the boiler's mass and drive out the oxygen.

EdTheHeaterMan

Flooding Steam Boilers during the Cooling Season
I have never heard of this proceedure. Does it really help with the air conditioning that much?

motoguy128

EdTheHeaterMan said:

Flooding Steam Boilers during the Cooling Season
I have never heard of this proceedure. Does it really help with the air conditioning that much?

Nothing to do with AC. It’s to help the boiler last longer. By flooding it, the water line is higher. The water line is where most corrosion happens and where boilers normally fail first. Especially 1 pipe steam that have more oxygen in the system in normal operation.

I do this with my boiler. In my case it also heats DHW, so its slightly more efficient with a higher water level and short cycles less.

luketheplumber

Ok thanks all I will be showing the homeowner how to flood her boiler and how to start it up for the winter.