surging and vinegar

John G. Merritt

Anyone ever heard of adding Vinegar to a surging Steam Boiler? I was told KEK works great by Kevin.
What is KEK?

John

Steamhead

I haven't heard of KEK

but according to Frank Gerety, vinegar is a good way to get built-up sediment out of older steam boilers. He gives the following instructions:

Run a temporary line from the bottom to the top of the boiler, with a bronze 3-piece circulator such as a B&G 100 in it to circulate the water/vinegar mixture. Pipe a basket strainer in the suction line to the circ to collect the crud.

Fill the boiler to the top with water and enough vinegar to bring the pH down to 5.

Operate the pump for as long as it takes to get the job done.
When finished, wash the vinegar out of the boiler with a high-pressure hose, and adjust the pH of the boiler water to between 7 and 11.

Of course, if this boiler has gaskets between the sections, check with the manufacturer before adding any chemical to the water.

Info from Dan's PM column, August 1991.

To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

todd s

ph

How do you check the ph in steam condensate. I'm wondering because the water I want to test is very rusty. I tried a pool test kit but you can't tell if the color changed, also used cryotec test strip but wasn't sure of the results. Thanks Todd.

John G. Merritt

Vinegar In Boiler & Ph

I would like to know where to purchase a good Ph/solids testing kit for steam boilers.
Anybody?

John