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Leaking steam boiler

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Newbie5
Newbie5 Member Posts: 1
in Gas Heating
We just purchased a home that has a very old steam boiler. Last night we smelled a lot of smoke and burning rubber only to find out the boiler was out of water. When I opened the water valve I heard a big boom... I think I must have cracked the boiler bc water gushed out the bottom. Is there any saving the boiler?? I really dont want to spend 7k replacing it right now. Not to mention I can't even find one in stock!

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  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,324
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    You my good sir, are a very very lucky person. I suggest you go out and buy a lottery ticket.

    Adding cold water to a dry fired boiler will indeed crack it -- we have had a rather entertaining thread on that just lately. Fortunately, in your case, it didn't flat out explode -- which they have been known to do. It cracked before it could build that much pressure.

    OK. Lesson for the day over.

    That boiler is toast. Even if there were some way to MacGyver the crack, which is highly unlikely, it would just fall apart again, more or less violently.

    So... you need a new boiler. You have no choice in the matter at all. Where are you locaated? We may know someone in your area who would be able to perform an emergency installation for you to keep you warm, and then come back later to finish the installation properly. This is NOT a do it yourself or get it from Home Depot project.

    So. Where are you?
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England

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