Elastomer boiler seals

STEAM DOCTOR

Good morning. Weil McLain says not to use petroleum based cleaning agents, as they may damage the seals. If I recall correctly, someone on this site said not to use TSP with these seals. Is Arm and Hammer super wash allowed (no petroleum in the ingredients)? Anything else to avoid? I have colleagues who have successfully used the Arm & Hammer to clean out dirty boilers and I would like to try that as well. I do not plan on leaving the cleanser in the boiler. Just clean and rinse and remove. Thanks  

ScottSecor

We have installed a few hundred steam boilers with elastomer rings/seals in the last thirty five years or so. With rare exception the boilers were cleaned with TSP when new and often throughout their lifetime. I am not aware of one boiler failure that was related to using TSP. As a matter of fact the few boilers that have failed that we know of were the ones with almost no maintenance and or long standing steam leaks (excessive make-up water).

What I'm trying to say is that TSP appears to have no negative effects on cast iron boilers with elastomer seals.

STEAM DOCTOR

Awesome! Great to know. 

STEAM DOCTOR

Just curious. What exactly was your cleaning procedure?

STEAM DOCTOR

And how do you calculate how much TSP to use?

EBEBRATT-Ed

@STEAM DOCTOR

I believe it is 1 lb./each 50 gallons of boiler water. I also only used TSP with no issues.

Mad Dog_2

I've only used MEX..TSP substitute.  As long as there's no Petroleum your fine.  Mad Dog 🐕 

STEAM DOCTOR

EBEBRATT-Ed said:

@STEAM DOCTOR I believe it is 1 lb./each 50 gallons of boiler water. I also only used TSP with no issues.

Any harm in putting in too much? Just hard to calculate precisely. 

Jamie Hall

Not if you do it within reason. Just don't get too carried away Plus even 30 or 40 percent won't hurt anything.

ChrisJ

It would be nice if we knew what kind of rubber they actually are honestly. If they're silicone they're almost bullet proof. Almost.

dko

The elastomer seals are silicone from HTR Rubber & Foam in the Netherlands.

ChrisJ

dko said:

The elastomer seals are silicone from HTR Rubber & Foam in the Netherlands.

https://jehbco.com.au/products/chemical-compatibility-chart/

That will give an idea of what will harm them.

Pumpguy

Notice the ratings for Amines, a common boiler water treatment. Nitrile is commonly known as Buna, and Fluorosilicone is commonly known as Viton.