American radiator and standard sanitary boiler age

pawlee624

trying to find age of my boiler, its an ideal #8 series number 1BJ-1

random12345

Wikipedia says after 1929 since that's when American and Standard merged: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Radiator_Company

Steamhead

That's probably an "Oakmont" model, late 1940s thru 1950s. Boilers with that type of sheet-metal jacket, enclosing the front access doors, weren't common before World War 2. They were built like tanks.

Where is the burner- in the rear?

Is there a low-water cutoff?

pawlee624

the burner is on bottom with tank on top, the igniter and clicker in in the back and it does have a low water cut off, it worked great until this year, got a crack in the tank

Steamhead

Then it needs replacement. Where are you located? We might know someone who can help................

EdTheHeaterMan

When that boiler was designed, the big doors were there to put a shovel full of coal in the lower door. That is where the coal grate was located. After WWII the returning GIs had $$$ to spend on that new modern oil heater. the problem was that boiler manufactures were still making hand fired castings from before. It was easier to design a new base that could accommodate a combustion chamber and oil burner, than it was to retool for a completely different casting. So, many of the old designs like the Ideal Boilers were sold as oil fired boilers to be assembled on site.

Not until the late 1950s will you start seeing the smaller package oil boiler and package gas boiler that we see in many homes today. I don't see any value in trying to salvage that beast. Scrap metal recycling might get you a couple hundred dollars or maybe a free removal by the scrap metal man. Unless it is in a basement that has no outside access door.

Time for something more efficient!