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Throttling Valve

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes
Alan (California Radiant) Forbes Member Posts: 4,214
in THE MAIN WALL
I just ran across this today on a gravity system, American Radiator Co. boiler.








8.33 lbs./gal. x 60 min./hr. x 20°ΔT = 10,000 BTU's/hour

Two btu per sq ft for degree difference for a slab
mattmia2kcoppSTEVEusaPA

Comments

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 10,927
    Looks like a blowtorch or a camp stove.
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 16,474
    really old
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 24,849
    Oh lovely! Does it still work? I would guess that that balance arrangement was in some way dependent on water temperature? In a steamer, that would have been activated by steam pressure.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 17,380
    Jamie Hall said:

    Oh lovely! Does it still work? I would guess that that balance arrangement was in some way dependent on water temperature? In a steamer, that would have been activated by steam pressure.

    That is correct. It was developed from beam-balance regulators used on coal boilers. I've seen one or two still in service.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • retiredguy
    retiredguy Member Posts: 977
    edited March 2022
    I used to buy Detroit Lubricator modulating gas valves back in the 1960's and early 1970"s. from Sid Harvey. I was glad to see them go away. That pilot was one of those liquid filled pilot safeties that worked until they didn't. They took way too long to respond to a pilot flame outage.
  • Alan (California Radiant) Forbes
    Alan (California Radiant) Forbes Member Posts: 4,214
    edited March 2022
    This is on an Ideal Gas Boiler hot water boiler. The owners were having a delayed ignition explosion because the main pilot - closest to the burners - was too low. I increased the flame so that it lit off properly, but then saw flame rollout with CO > 2,000 ppm, so I shut it down and gave them a price for a replacement. I probably could have taken it apart to clean the HX, but dang, some of the really old stuff falls apart when you try to work on it and never goes back together again to work properly.
    I think that second flame is pilot safety because there's nothing else to protect against flame outage.






    8.33 lbs./gal. x 60 min./hr. x 20°ΔT = 10,000 BTU's/hour

    Two btu per sq ft for degree difference for a slab

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