Hysterical Burnham

Ted Laythe

Hysterical Burnham

Actually I meant Historical Burnham.

I'm Interested in a little bit of history. American Standard sold to Burnham. I hear the old timers calling the boilers they made after "Burnham American". My question is when did the sale occur?

Some of the Burnham of that time that I've seen are American Standard designs with Blue sheet metal on them. I've seen the V-3 series(used to be A-3)and what ever they called the blue MP series (1wp3? which evolved into the V-1 series). I'm curious as to weather any other older designs were retained like the AP and APT for example? and how long they were made for? Did they every try the Arcoflame burner or was that left for dead?

Also
Today I went to service a 30 year old boiler made in Wallingford CT by National Standard Boiler Company. This boiler looked identical to the Burnham RS series steel boiler except it was green. Was this company also assimilated by Burnham? Burnham did make a gray boiler like this prior to the RS but I don't know the model name.

Off the subject. I read Crane went out in 1968; did someone buy them too or did they just close? Guess I't wasn't just another "Sunny Day".

I look forward to your answers especially if you were around to remember then.
TED

J.C.A._3

I don't remember the changes,

But rest assured....I've worked on all of the above mentioned boilers!

I do know that lots of the A/S models were jacket changed to the Burnham name after the purchase. The primary burners I saw with this change were Sunray. Luckily, they made the mount so Carlin could be placed right in when they gave up the ghost.(the Sunray's were a b*^&$ to get running anything near steady in too many cases)

I think they dropped the cast iron/steel based "apartment units" soon after the big change as I rarely see them without a silver cover and an A/S nameplate.I'm thinking that Repco bought that one lock, stock and barrell! Too bad for them. Wish I had a buck for every one of them I replaced in my pocket right now.

On the bright side please think back to the Burnham of old. This would be the company that brought us the "Fiesta" and the world reknowned "Jubilee". I've had the pleasure of living in places with both. They were very short lived when I got there as I was paying the fuel bills in both places. I think the first place had a Jubilee, and I replaced the cast iron bodied A/S burner,with the transformer on the side, to a Beckett AF. Saved a pile of dough on the first heating season after that, but the steel base gave out in short order.

Ahh, the things we remember. Some good, some bad but every one a teaching and learning experience. Chris

Unknown

Ted

The buyout transaction took place in 1974 or thereabouts if my memory serves me right. Some of the products caried through into the Burnham product line as Burnham America products. Once again if my memory serves me right, the FRA-3 or A-3 evolved into the V-3, the VP and VPT evolved into the V-1 and I don't think the dry-base AP and APT series carried on because the Fiesta was already in place.

I go back as far as 1972 in the heating industry, the last six years with Burnham and the rest in the wholesale distributor end of the business. Much of that time was selling Burnham but not all of it.

The earlier steel boilers were the CB and BBC models. I am not sure about similarities of these to the National US boilers though. I have to admit that these days most of my time is concentrating on the present and future products and their technical details than the past, so some of those older things are a bit hazy. Hope this helps.

Glenn Stanton

Manager of Training

Burnham Hydronics

Dale Pickard

A bit of trivia

A bit of trivia that I picked up was that Mr. Lord of the Lord Greenhouse company, hired a relation....(his son in law, I think), to build boilers to heat his greenhouses. I'm guessing that this would have been in the early 1800's.

I understand that was the start of the Burnam Boiler corportation as well as the Lord and Burnam Greenhouse corporation, which went out of business just a few years ago after being the pre-eminent US greenhouse manufacturer for decades.
I don't know where I picked this up....maybe someone at Burnam can corroborate this.

Dale

Dave-St Louis

American Standard/Burnham

Was wondering if Burhham might have available cast iron ribbon burners (LP Gas) that would fit the American Standard Cast Iron boiler. Ours was sold under the name of Kewanee Boiler, but was manufactured by American Standard in the mid 1970's Kewanee called it a "K" series and Amer.
Standard called it a "G" series, I believe. Any info will be most appreciated. Thanks

Steamhead

When and Where they Went

If memory serves, Burnham bought the A-S boiler line in 1970 or so. Around that time, a new Burnham-America gas boiler was installed in the house next door to mine. It, and a whole lot of fin-tube baseboard, replaced a counterflow steam system with an old round coal-converted, oil-fired boiler, that never heated well. If I'd known then what I know now..... Anyway, that boiler is still Burnhaming- and following Glenn's recommendations, it has a brand-new stack damper and blocked-vent and rollout switches. No more heat waves rolling out the chimney on the off cycle, which I could see from my bathroom window.

As for Crane, I understand they bought out the then recently combined National-U.S. Radiator Co. in the early 1960s, and their boiler operation was sold to Slant/Fin in 1968 or so. Maybe Noel could elaborate on this?

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Boilerpro_3

I probably have what you're looking for

I have a 1962 or so G series in my basement that runs on natural gas. I believe the burners are the same, as I have come across some built for LP and the burners appeared the same. My boiler has 9 burners, but I only use 3 now as the boiler is just a little oversized. The boiler now serves as a back up to a new condensing boiler, but it was quite economical to operate.
These old American Standard boilers are about the best boilers I have ever seen. I have yet to see a cracked G series and am replacing my first larger AS from the 60's that is cracked.

Boilerpro

Dave-St Louis

American Std Burners

Boilerpro: Would like to see if the burners you have are the same as what is installed in my "Kewanee" I am running fine for this year, but next year will probably need to replace a couple or so of them. I would like to send you a photo and dimensions, and maybe we could check them out. How can I address this information to you?
Thanks,
Dave-St. Louis

chris williams

burnham boilers

I have a really old house and the boiler is a Burnham Holiday Series 1, #4-61. Can anyone tell me any info on this ? Thanks

J.C.A._3

Boilers used to get some cool names eh?

I remember seeing the Holiday, but for the life of me can't think of the layout. Was it "wet leg" with a brick firebox? Chris

Steamhead

The Holiday was a very tall gas-fired unit

with input ratings from 50 to 6400 MBH. Yours has an input of 90 MBH. Is this on a steam or hot-water system?

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Ted Laythe

Still Going

Thank you to all who have responded to my post. I knew I would get good information from fire dragon , Glenn Stanton and the rest.These gentlemen know almost everything--and they're willing to share. Now how cool is that!

Is it me or does it seem strange that several times a week I get to work on an old American Standard that still has everything original, and has been running every day maintaining temperature for 40 to 50 years!

Nothing else in the house outside of the timber has stood the test of time like that old boiler. Think about that. If we work 20 to 25 years in the same place, we get to retire, But that old boiler might be in place for two or three families to come and go. Does anyone here believe what we are putting in today will still be running 50 years down the road? Or is it survival of the fittest. The well made, well maintained equipment has lasted and the rest were already replaced. Guess I’m thinking back because of the Holidays

Thank you

Ted Laythe

Robert O'Connor_6

Agreed

American Standard was well built stuff. I too work on lots of old oil fired equipment thats all original.

gotta love quality

Regards

Robert

ME