Steam Boiler firewall crack

Silkey · January 12

Safety Vapor low pressure steam system. Crown boiler JSI103. 103kbtu input. Series 12/2001

Was running fine for years (after adding a vaporstat, skim port, cleaning, replacing leaky valves, and replacing the pipe insulation).

Ex wife had someone take a look at it since there is an overfilling problem. It still ran fine with the supply water shut off (I advised that is dangerous). The pictures are from the technician that said the whole boiler needs to be replaced. No mention of what is wrong other than these two pictures. A crack in the firewall. The other two technicians that worked on this boiler years ago never mentioned this as an issue.

Is this crack an issue?

Is there electrical testing I can do to determine what part of the LWCO or automatic fill valve is not working?

I was tempted to replace the orifice in the fill valve as a start, since it's the most affordable part, but not yet.

Buffalo, NY

ethicalpaul · January 12

Are you using a lot of water? I'm a little confused by what you wrote regarding the LWCO/autofeed

mattmia2 · January 12

Does it continue to fill with the power off but the valve to the auto feeder on? If it still is filling with no power the automatic valve isn't holding, if it does not it is a control issue. I assume that this does not have a tankless coil or indirect water heater on the same valve.

I assume that this is oil. Any competent oil burner technician will know how to repair or replace that refractory.

EdTheHeaterMan · January 12

That looks like the ceramic fiber/fire proof material that combustion chambers are made of. They are lining the burner box of a gas boiler that the cast iron sections are set on. Those cracks are nominal and have no bearing on the operational safety or integrity of the boiler. The technician that is telling you that it is dangerous, is just trying to get you to purchase a replacement boiler that you don't need.

If there is missing ceramic fiber material (which there is no missing material by the way) then you just need to replace the insulation. You don't need a boiler. I remember my next door neighbor's father telling me one time that those tires on that car were bad, we needed to jack up the gas cap and install a new car under it. When I was 12 years old I knew he was not serious. And your boiler salesman is also telling you to do the same. Buy something you don't need because a replaceable consumable part is “almost” failing.

This is a page from a boiler that uses the same type of ceramic fiber insulation in the firebox. Part #9 in the diagram is called Base insulation kit

And that part number is less than $300.00 at a supply house. You need to look up the part number of the insulation kit needed for your boiler. If it is no longer available, then you can just make it out of Lynn Manufacturing Ceramic Fiber Board

mattmia2 · January 12

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1881996#Comment_1881996

I thought that black thing was a hole, but it is just a washer that holds the refractory in place.

EBEBRATT-Ed · January 13

The sad thing is the "technician" is probably so dumb he really does think she needs a new boiler.

STEAM DOCTOR · January 13

Certainly looks like a gas boiler. And certainly does not need to be replaced.

There is a totally separate issue with the excess filling. Might be a faulty low water cut off. Might be a faulty feeder or a faulty manual feed valve.

Steam Boiler firewall crack

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