Steam System

Michael Chlopak

My 9 year old Weil-McLain Oil based steam system prematurely died. Despite annual servicing and weekly clean out of the dirty water the system sprung a leak at the top and white steam was coming out of the chimney. I would like to determine (1)best way to see if its under warranty (2) why it happened (3) what the best solution to a single pipe steam system in 100 year old large 3 floor victorian house. Is it better/cleaner to go to gas. What are the best systems to use/recommended contractors in the north jersey market area. Write or call cell phone (973) 699.3937

Mad Dog

Go with a Burnham boiler and go to

find a contractor at this site good luck Mad Dog

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John@Reliable

W/M leaker!

Michael, call your oil co or service co. They should be able to help you,and yes do it today. That boiler only has a ten year warranty. I would stay with oil as it's cheaper than gas most of the time. As to why, my quess is the weekly draining,adds fresh water and lots of O2 to system.I would request a probe type low water cut off that only requires yearly service. Also made sure the installer of new system understands steam,check here for a "find a contractor" on top left. Hope this helps. John@Reliable

Dave Palmer

W/M

will only give you about 600 bucks towards a new boiler with no labor, stick with oil, 10 years later oil boilers are light years ahead of what you have.

Steamhead

Mike, your Weil-McLain

uses gaskets between the sections instead of iron push nipples. It is possible that one of these gaskets has gone bad. This may be easy to replace (I've never done it though) and there may be updated versions of the gaskets too. Try to find out if you have a bad gasket or if a section is cracked.

Personally I prefer boilers with push-nipples rather than gaskets. That said, I see lots of W-M boilers out there, and generally they last a long time with proper care.

Along with a bunch of other Wetheads, I visited the Weil-McLain factory several weeks ago. Those W-M guys are great. I'd give them a chance to correct this, preferably under warranty.

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Dave Palmer

not bad

I've changed the gaskets in several 68 series.You can ussually do it with the front or back section still tied in to the system.Remove the jacket and slide a 1" by 3" under the boiler and remove the tie rods. Boiler should section apart fairly easy. At that point check the machined surfaces to make sure they ok,if not look for a new boiler. If they are ok clean out the old gaskets and coping between sections. Install new gaskets and run a bead of silicone around the gasket that holds the gasket and keeps flue gas from getting to the gaskets(thats what kills the gaskets).Replace the coping (putty)between the sections with 3/8 fiberglass rope siliconed in place,but don't place tension on the rope as you set it in because it will "shrink" when you stop holding it.Walk the sections into place with 1x3 under the middle to hold them at the right height.Install the tie rods and snug them up in a criss/cross pattern.You may need a new chamber at this point.Refill the boiler and run it hot and retighten the tie rods and you should be ok.I've had great success doing it.You can do it on a properly piped water or steam boiler in under 2 1/2 hours in and out easy,honest.

Steamhead

Thanks Dave

for filling in the blanks.

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Dave Palmer

lots of blanks,

off to watch cartoons with the kids

Tom M.

Leak at top of boiler

Mike, if the cast iron is all eaten away around the water level, it could be an indication of too much fresh water being introduced into the system. If the boiler needs to be replaced, make sure that your contractor thoroughly checks the piping and radiators for leaks. If you have an automatic feeder, water can be replaced without you realizing how often. I replaced one a few years ago and while trying to set the pressuretrol found that a screw that attached the bulkhead to the house had rubbed its way through the back of a built-in radiator over a period of 28 years.

The newer Weil McLain SGO is much heavier and I believe holds more water. It has a 10 year warranty as opposed to the 5 years the 68 series had. I use them with the Carlin burner and the probe type LWCO which reqires less servicing and cuts down on the fresh water intake.