Some Frank Prox Company Boilers

EzzyT

Had the pleasure to take a look at these Frank Prox Company boilers. Proposing to replace them along with all new piping in the mechanical room.

Danny Scully

Cant fix them? 🤣😉. 44 sections by my count. Awesome 😎. 

hot_rod

RH, LH nipples on those headers?

Mad Dog_2

100 years old? Mad Dog 

EBEBRATT-Ed

I would guess !940s

Only saw two of those installed around here. Two different Middle Schools had two of those boilers. Western Ma was locked up by HB Smith in those days. But there was one contractor who had a disagreement (to put it mildly) with Smith and got the engineer to approve the Prox boilers as an =

I am guessing Power Flame C3G025??

Kind of a big burner to use a single phase motor.

Do they have 3 phase in the building? I am guessing no as all the circ pumps and burner motors are single phase.

That will keep you busy this summer.

EzzyT

@Danny Scully yeah that’s not going to happen. 

@hot_rod correct right and left nipples.
@Mad Dog_2 from my guess they are about 100 years but they are in a school that was built in 1950s, possibly new old stock back then.
@EBEBRATT-Ed I am not sure what power flame model burner they are.
We wouldn’t be re using them we purposed to switch over to 800,000 btus modcons. The mechanical room is 100% redundancy. 

JDHW

Even with LH and RH threads I can't see how the thing was put together. All the tapped parts of the pipes are flush with the fittings. Or are the LH/RH threads on the pipes going down through the insulation? That must be a nightmare to assemble and pray that there are no leaks!

John

Mad Dog_2

JD...not as bad as you think. Just have to be meticulous.  Mad Dog 🐕 

ScottSecor

Never heard of or saw Frank Prox boilers before. Kind of resemble older Mills series boilers to my eyes.

Looks like some odd check valves or perhaps strainers below the pumps on what appears to the be the returns?

My back and hands are hurting just thinking about what it would take to get those boilers apart and outside. I'm guessing the abatement company will be removing the old equipment?

Mad Dog_2

Never seen one ANYWHERE in New York.  Looks like a Tank!  Mad Dog 🐕 

Erin Holohan Haskell

Thanks for sharing @EzzyT!

And for our history fans:



From the 1940s:

EBEBRATT-Ed

@EzzyT


I don't know when Prox went out of business but the two schools I saw here in Western, MA the Prox boilers were original to the schools and they were both built in the 50s.

I have a 1964 Ashrae Catalog and they are not listed and they would have been if they were still in business.

Mad Dog_2

A German plumber..Cool...DerKlempner!!! Ja...mad Dog 🐕 

EzzyT

@EBEBRATT-Ed the boilers could be originally from the 1950s.
@Mad Dog_2 yes they are tanks.
@ScottSecor yes the abatement contractor would be removing the boilers.