Steam Boiler Skimming

gehring_3

I installed a new boiler last year and never seemed to get it completely clean, so now I am trying to finalize that process. I took Dan's advice and added a "T" fitting off my skim tap so I can look down inside the T and watch the water/oil float by on its way out.

What I have been doing is letting the system steam for a while, then I will stop making steam, open the skim tap and watch what appears to be a thin film of oil float by as I slowly skim.

I now have a dry sight glass and a steady waterline, but there still seems to be some slight film of oil or something on the water's surface when I first skim that quickly dissapates.

My question is should I stop now or keep going?? I am concerned that continuing to perform this procedure is causing fresh water (and oxygen) to infiltrate my boiler and I am afraid of prematurely rotting out my new boiler by doing this much longer.

Should I stop now that the water line is steady and sight glass dry or should I continue until there is absolutely no more film??

What is the rule of thumb on how much fresh water makeup is bad?

Thanks

jason_12

skim

I'm waiting for the answer as I have the same question...

Robert O'Connor_7

To Skim or Not to Skim,,, That is the question....?

Keep skiming until its all gone...Robert O'Connor/NJ

gerry gill

i steam the boiler some

while i'm skimming,,seems to get it cleaner easier..if your sight glass is okay i'd say your about there..

Mark Eatherton1

Skimming can take up to

8 hours to complete. Don't worry about rotting out the boiler due to oxygen. If its set up correctly, it will see fresh oxygen at the end of every thermosat cycle. ITs made to handle the oxygen.

Its also a good idea to have the burner running while skimming. Keep the water flowing at a rate to deliver 180 degree F water temps while skimming and DON'T EVEN think about leaving the boiler unattended during this process. There are also some chemcials that can be induced to facilitate the cleaning.

We plug a minimum of 8 man hours into evey steam job we bid to guarantee that we won't be coming back at our expense to clean things up. Its also a good idea to clean the oil out of the pipes as you assemble them using vinegar soaked rags. The less oil you put into a system, the less oil you have to take out...

ME

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gehring_3

Thanks

Thanks folks. It is definitely getting better now.