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First cleaning of boiler, any pointers…

Bodycount
Bodycount Member Posts: 39
in Strictly Steam
Mult- family I own. Planning on executing off season servicing of both boilers. Do not live on site, check boilers regularly during heating season. 

Replaced/ upgraded drain valves. 

My concern is removal of flue & box as well as outer jacket to access areas that manual specifies as cleaning. 

Tips or areas of concern?

Comments

  • leonz
    leonz Member Posts: 1,336
    edited June 2022
    Do you have a Carbon Monoxide monitor/alarm in the boiler room?? If not, you need one.

    Call the boiler manufacturer and seriously ask what can I do to take care of this boiler in the off season as I am not a licensed plumber.

    Installing a drop header to make dry steam would be a must do to make dry steam and heat the living space faster.

    All the pipes on the boiler should have tags describing what the valves are for.

    Are there air vents on the header pipe in the basement? They should be cleaned in a specific way to vent the air in the header pipes properly to allow steam to enter the header pipe and push the air out of the pipes.

    Cleaning the Pig Tail should be on your to do list, the Pig Tail is the spiral pipe connected to the pressure gauge.

    The very last thing I would do is replace all that flue pipe with new better flue pipe as a must do job as the seams may be leaking flue gas.






  • Bodycount
    Bodycount Member Posts: 39
    1- yes , carbon monoxide detector present within 5’. Never had an activation. 

    2- the manual seems fairly comprehensive to do an off season cleaning. 

    3- I would love to install drop headers for all of my steam boilers. 2 at this location and 1 at my primary residence. 

    4- three (3) header pipe vents. All recently replaced. 

    5- pigtail in recent. It will be removed, cleaned and properly installed with support for pressuretrol & gauge. 

    6- what makes you think the existing flue(s) are leaking?
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 10,799
    The vent looks like it is probably drafting poorly. Replacing it won't fix that, you need a professional that is good with combustion analysis and vents for that part of it.
  • leonz
    leonz Member Posts: 1,336
    The foil tape makes it suspect as I have the same tape covering the seams due to fly ash leaking through.

    Don't skimp on gas rated flue pipe and elbows as your tenant's lives are important and you do not need a lawsuit.

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