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Skimming a new boiler - Frequency?

cluelessandlost
cluelessandlost Member Posts: 8
in Strictly Steam

Hi all, just got a nice new steam boiler installed today and I am reading conflicting information about how often to skim. My installer said I could skim every day (fill up 3/4 of a bucket) for the next 2 weeks. The boiler manual says to do a marathon session without closing the valves until the water temperature is no longer hot to the touch (without a thermometer, I'm not too keen on testing this approach to be honest). But I'm also reading posts on this forum that suggest waiting a week between skimming to let the system run for longer.

Which approach here would be best?

Comments

  • 109A_5
    109A_5 Member Posts: 1,922

    Hello cluelessandlost,

    If you are going to do it yourself, IMO I would start to do it ASAP. The more oil you get out sooner the less chance it has to migrate to other parts of the system if surging starts. Once the oil is spread throughout the system the longer it takes to return to the boiler to eventually get purged out with skimming.

    How much oil is in your system ? Who knows, you may have to skim a lot or it may go fairly quickly. I don't know if there is a perfect method, I do know it needs to be done.

    National - U.S. Gas Boiler 45+ Years Old
    Steam 300 SQ. FT. - EDR 347
    One Pipe System
  • cluelessandlost
    cluelessandlost Member Posts: 8
    edited 5:53AM

    I've spent about 3-4 hours skimming a bucket before calling it a day today (it's pretty cold here so I didn't want to be without heat for too long). I just didn't know if I should wait a longer period of time before skimming again or do it daily. It sounds like for a new boiler it might be better to do it more often, or at least sooner rather than later?

  • 109A_5
    109A_5 Member Posts: 1,922

    Its one of those things that you need to do as much as needed, When you stop seeing oil in the bucket and the waterline in the sight glass is clean and the the boiler boils calmly you may be done, or near done. It can be a process, every system is a bit different.

    National - U.S. Gas Boiler 45+ Years Old
    Steam 300 SQ. FT. - EDR 347
    One Pipe System
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 16,875

    The determining factor of weather to skim or not is to watch the gauge glass while it is steaming.

    If the gauge glass keeps getting dirty and when steaming the water level is bouncing or violent movement up and down more than 1" or water coming into the top valve on the gauge glass and running down, then you need to skim.

    When it is skimmed enough the water level should be steady or gentle movement up and down of not more than 1" is ok.

    I prefer to skim using washing soda but that is another story.

    I prefer skimming after the boiler has been running for 5 days or a week or so then you usually can get it done with 1 long skim. Usually, an hour or so will do it.

    If you want to do smaller skims more often that is fine too. Makes no difference in the end.

    The reason for waiting is to move any crud from the piping back to the boiler after the piping has been disturbed by the install. Then you only have to do it 1 time.

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