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What caused this on a boiler flue?

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RayWohlfarth
RayWohlfarth Posts: 2,084
edited August 28 in Strictly Steam

This had to be one of the scariest boiler rooms I ever saw. The customer was incredibly lucky.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjiXP8kkCRU
rotted flue pipe.jpeg
Ray Wohlfarth
Boiler Lessons
jamplumb

Comments

  • SteamNow
    SteamNow Posts: 88
    edited August 28

    Very interesting

    Owner

    Steamnowrockford.com

  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Posts: 27,906

    Nothing like a little acid condensation in the combustion gases…

    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    mattmia2HomerJSmithjamplumb
  • RayWohlfarth
    RayWohlfarth Posts: 2,084

    @SteamNow I thought scary LOL

    @Jamie Hall Yes it was crazy

    Ray Wohlfarth
    Boiler Lessons
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Posts: 28,524

    poor draft, too long of a horizontal run?

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • Big Ed_4
    Big Ed_4 Posts: 3,585

    Looks like hot water heater has been leaking or under fired…

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

  • SteamNow
    SteamNow Posts: 88

    @RayWohlfarth lol, maybe a little too scientific. I imagine the carbon monoxide detector must have been going off?

    I've never seen a leak that bad and left that long. I've seen similar stuff happen when the chimney gets partially clogged and then condensation sits and builds up and tears the bottoms open.

    Owner

    Steamnowrockford.com

  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Posts: 18,974

    I'd say condensation too. On a run that long I would have used double-wall pipe.

    Co-Founder, All Steamed Up, Inc.

    Semi-retired

    Baltimore, MD, USA

    jamplumb
  • leonz
    leonz Posts: 1,965

    OUCH, that is downright nasty Ray!!

    I wonder if that water heater has a water leak in the scheme of things?

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Posts: 21,169

    Looks reasonably ok until it gets to the WH so I think that is the issue.

    I am going to say too long of a horizontal in relation to the draft available. Equipment too far from the chimney.

    Moving the equipment or maybe a separate flue for the water heater

    mattmia2jamplumb
  • HomerJSmith
    HomerJSmith Posts: 2,833
    edited August 28

    Had a job checking a side wall venting Lochinvar mini-fin boiler and had to crawl in a space on the other side of the wall where the blower vent was. When I got there the installer had used standard gauge single wall venting. The venting had more holes in it than Swiss cheese. Barely got out of there the CO was so high. I ask the renter whose bedroom wall was on the other side of that crawl space if he had any headaches. He said that he woke up every morning with a headache. Concentration & Duration, gasp.

    The big problem was the boiler was next to the washer and dryer. Excessive acidic condensate did the job. I replaced the venting sys with stainless steel venting and brought in fan assisted outside combustion air that turned on when the boiler fired.

    Sometimes simple mistakes can be a killer. Be careful out there.

    PS. Also installed CO detectors.

    jamplumb
  • Big Ed_4
    Big Ed_4 Posts: 3,585

    I like the Trex gas pipe floating in the air :)

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

    jamplumb
  • pecmsg
    pecmsg Posts: 7,612

    and the long long runs!

    jamplumb
  • Bob Harper
    Bob Harper Posts: 1,188

    Blocked/ inadequate chimney; long, possibly oversized vent connector without slope; inadequate makeup air; took boiler(s) offline leaving venting grossly oversized; lack of professional maintenance, especially combustion analysis and most importantly, INSPECTION!

    Honorable mentions may include corrosive ambient chemical warfare, boiler leaking into combustion chamber, and grossly under firing.

    So Ray, what was the body count? Seriously, I've seen disintegrating vent connectors worse than this in homes with everyone still alive. They were surprised when I connected their recent mysterious 'allergies', mood swings, irritability, kid's grades dropping, and general malaise to this. Sadly, this kind of disaster is often right out in the open, yet seemingly intelligent adults walk right past it for years without a thought. Now, if a service tech had been in there during the first signs of trouble, he's got something to worry about depending upon how long ago that was.

    jamplumb
  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Posts: 3,156

    @RayWohlfarth I have seen some acidic brew before, but this one!? Have you seen worse?

    trivetmanjamplumb
  • Big Ed_4
    Big Ed_4 Posts: 3,585

    I have worked on worse … :)

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

    jamplumb
  • RayWohlfarth
    RayWohlfarth Posts: 2,084

    This was the worst Ive ever seen They are two vertical fire tube steam boilers. The boiler tubes were leaking and the combustion chamber filled with water and it poured out of the burner mounting plate. Its a mess

    They don't have CO detectors and Im not sure of any health issues.

    Ray Wohlfarth
    Boiler Lessons
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Posts: 18,974

    This is what happens when you lose a lot of water from a steam system and don't fix the leaks.

    Co-Founder, All Steamed Up, Inc.

    Semi-retired

    Baltimore, MD, USA

    Mad Dog_2jim s_2
  • Bob Harper
    Bob Harper Posts: 1,188

    It doesn't do any good to install a VXT on the feeder if nobody monitors it or understands what the numbers mean and when to call for service.

    PC7060jim s_2jamplumb
  • Stet
    Stet Posts: 48

    I see no draft hood on the water heater!

  • Jack Bakker
    Jack Bakker Posts: 4

    Volatile organic compounds from hair salons or dry cleaners mixed with a flame will eat galvanized for breakfast!!
    What draft hood?

  • jim s_2
    jim s_2 Posts: 119

    That whole boiler room looks sketchy.

    jamplumb

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