Boiler Cleaning

Brian Lorenz

Hi, i have two questions. In 1987 our original (1930) Richardson boiler was replaced with a Burnham 405b gas fired steam boiler. I would like to clean the system. In the manual it says to add the caustic soda/trisodium phosphate mixture to the boiler and boil the water for at least five hours. Does this mean i have to run the boiler for five hours straight or can i let it cycle?
Also the vent damper stays open. When i took it apart, the fuse on the circuit board was blown. It says you have to change the board if this happens. The damper was made for Burnham by Flair International (Hauppauge, L.I.). I cant find them listed anywhere. Would anyone know where i can get parts and do i really need the damper operational?
I called Burnham about both questions. The customer service representative did not know and would not connect me to a technician, saying they do not do this for homeowners. I tried to tell her that this is where the boiler is , in my home and was purchased by me, the homeowner.
The only reason i know about these things is one of Dan's books that my friend took out from the library, which i am going to take out next. It was excellent reading. Thank you very much.

Ken_40

A question or two...

Why now? This is typically done upon installation, tehn yearly, not 20 years later.

The cleaning instructions are aimed at initial installation timing, not after 20 years of service. A drastically modified approach would be used at this point.

The stack damper reduces energy efficiency on an order of approx. 8-10%. A new one should run around $150.

Next time you call Burnham, ask for Glenn Stanton. He's their resident wizard; among the best in the biz. He will also be able to suggest a cross reference replacement for the blown flair damper. The fuse seems like it should be replaceable? But you must find out what toasted it in the first place before blowing another one.

I am a big fan of straight TSP cleanings; but annually, not once every 20 years (;-o)

Put one cup per 100,000 BTU's of input in the safety relief valve opening; let the boiler almost steam (just until the riser pipe gets too hot to keep your hand on), and then drain and flush the boiler, condensate drain, and the LWCO chamber (if that style). Fill to ythe NOWL and fire again. Dump THAT rinse water and fill once more with clean H2O. That should clean up much of the muck in the block and near boiler piping below the water line. I would also pull the gage glass and clean i and the stops/fittings too, as well as the pressuretrol pigtail/siphon. 20 years is a long time. Who knows what's almost plugged solid. Be thorough.

If it still looks dirty, do another cup/100MM and repeat until crystal clear, or you run out of time.