love that dirty water

Tony Conner

...do you drain? When do you re-fill? If you drain in the spring, and refill immediately, you've just loaded your boiler with water that's full of dissolved oxygen. You need to fire it right after it's re-filled to drive off the dissolved oxygen.

Adding chemicals based on how the water appears just by looking at it, is just not a good idea. Water can appear to be very dirty, yet not be causing any corrosion or deposit problems. On the other hand, water that appears crystal clear can be absolutely full of dissolved oxygen, be loaded with scale causing hardness, and have the pH way into the acid side, and be busy corroding your boiler to death.

If you're adding chemicals to your boiler without running proper tests, you're just throwing darts in the dark. Don't do it. Make sure that your whole system is correct mechanically, and you've just eliminated about 75% of the "chemical" problems before they start.

peddy

love that dirty water

have a one pipe steam system. new boiler but very old pipes, so despite draining the boiler and filling with clean water each season, the water is dirty again within weeks. have read/heard that you can add a chemical to the water to keep it clean. worth it? what's a good chemical and how do you add it to the water?

thanks.

John@Reliable_4

peddy , look at post \"free test packet\" ..................

KEK does work. Just remember that most steam systems will never stay clear for long. KEK product works even when water looks dirty. Hope this helps John@Reliable

Mark Hunt

Steam systems


will get "dirty" every time you use them.

When the steam condenses in the mains and in the radiators, air rushes in to replace it. There is always a bit of condensation left inside the pipes and radiators which will form rust. The next time the boiler fires that rust is washed back to the boiler.

Combating that will be like trying to sweep a dirt floor.

Steam systems are literally rotting from the inside out.

Skimming the boiler will keep the junk that floats down to a minimum. Blowing down the LWCO will make sure that it is in proper working order.

Adding chemicals to the system is not something that should be done without testing the water before and after.
Chemicals do not make the junk disappear, they just weight it down so it sinks. Now it sits in the bottom of your boiler waiting for the next time it fires only to get mixed up again. Now your water is dirty again.

You can flush it out after you add the chemical, but you will probably have to flush it repeatedly to get it all out.

And the next time the boiler cycles, the process starts all over.

Mark H

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Unknown

My experience with dirty water

has been dirty is better than clean. Over the years testing water from many steam systems the dirty water was closer to a non acid PH than boilers with clean water.

I also have not been a fan of boiler cleaners and additives. Skimming the boiler every so often tends to be a better way. Then always fire the boiler immediately and let it run for a good long time. After that test the PH on the water. That is also a good time to do a combustion analysis. Most of the steam boilers here in RI are old coal and oil conversions, if you keep putting fresh water in them it really corrodes the near boiler piping and in some cases plugs up the boilers. With float type LWCO's flush them as frequently as possible (train the customer), that is also why I do not like automatic water feeders as they create a false sense of security and the customer does not go down and look at the boiler.

If you put in a replacement boiler follow the manufacturers instructions for skimming. I also soak all my near boiler piping in a vinegar and water solution after washing piping with a solvent to get rid of possible oil residue. Oil and water are not friends. A new boiler should be rechecked for several weeks after installation as the new boiler will"clean" the system.

If the previous boiler was oil the chimney should be checked in a year for a large accumulation of "fly ash" produced by the acidic moisture laden products of combustion from the gas burner. I have seen it accumulate all the way up to the entry point of the flue into the boiler.

Steamhead

Also flush the wet returns

since dirt accumulates in them also. This is easily done by hooking up a hose to the main-vent tappings, opening the drain in the return and turning on the water.

If you don't have main vents or drain valves in the return, have them installed. This is a job for a pro- go to the Find a Contractor page of this site to locate one near you.

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jim_14

How does the dirty water affect boilers systems that also are used to provide hot water supply. Does that "dirt" from the return and other factors that settle in the boiler get distributed thru your hot water supply??

Mark Hunt

If you mean


Domestic hot water, the two never meet. Boiler water and domestic water that is.

Mark H

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jim_14

Yes

thats what I meant. Thanks