New Weil McLain Steam boiler in 100 yr old home

New boilers come with a skim of oil on the castings and that oil is bad for steam systems. To remove it you have to slowly feed water into the boiler so the oil on top of the water will float out the skim tapping. Bring the boiler up so it is hot but not boiling. This should be done so it takes a couple of hours to fill a 5 gal bucket and it will take several sessions to get all the oil out..

If you look in the manual they usually indicate where the skim tappin is, it's usually a 1/1/4 or larger tapping a little above the normal water line.

Bob

Skimming explained
https://youtu.be/2ydzKcBKOVc

Yeah... Wow. There is no header, no equalizer... That boiler is probably sucking water right out into pipes. You need to call that bozo who put it in and ask him to repipe per user manual... This is not remotely close to spec. So sorry you are dealing with this.

There is a manual, with a picture showing how it is to be piped. Your recourse depends on what is in your contract.

Does the contract say proper piping? Manufacturers specs, anything like that?

He didn't follow the manual, it's wrong and there is no argument on that, well not a logical argument. Most likely your old boiler had a larger steam chest or some other difference. With a new boiler you need to follow modern piping or it will never work right.

Also it needs skimmed, that is why you have all that crud in the sight glass.

Pictures 4 and 7????
Is that a modified draft hood of some sort?
It doesn't look like something from the factory.

Does the install manual have a single smuge fingerprint on it?

I am not familiar with that boiler but I am sure someone here is.
I appears that the draft hood part of the exhaust flue has been altered. Perhaps he lost the factory furnished one or thought his own design was an improvement?
That is usually not something done to any gas appliance.

Considered a possible CO danger.

Looks like a standard W-M EG draft hood?

We know the installer is an idiot who probably thinks he knows everything and refuses to read a simple boiler manual and piping diagram.

This isn't #@$%&*()#@ROCKET SCIENCE.

Mr Homeowner, why can't you read the manual and figure it out yourself??

@greenfalcon said: "Thanks to all who contributed to my plight today. I did speak to Weil McClain and my local supply house and they were as surprised as you guys at to the missing steam header and associated Hartford loop. And the skim fitting. I reached to a "steam" guy referred by the supply house and he thinks it just a reconfiguration of steam line to slow down the steam, insert the Hartford loop and skim valve and go from there. I'll keep you guys posted, thanks again for your guidance, take care."

Don't accept any "reconfiguration of that piping to slow the steam down" as a fix for what needs to be done to make it right. It needs a good header to help dry the steam before it enters the Main(s), it needs a Hartford loop to help prevent the boiler from emptying out and perhaps dry firing should you have a leak in one of the wet returns, It needs an equalizer to both allow water that falls out of the steam, in the header to drain back to the boiler and to equalize the pressure both inside the boiler and where the Hartford loop ties in to keep the pressure in the boiler from pushing the water back out the wet return.

This is a new install, demand it be done right and, at a minimum, to the specifications in the I&O manual. You have to live with whatever you accept and you have an obligation to yourself and your family to ensure it is done right and that you get what you paid for. If that means you have to act like an **** until its done, so be it. That's better than regretting the fact that you "settled" and have to live with it for the next 10 or 20 years. It is more than likely the manufacturer won't even warrant that equipment, should you have a problem a year or two down the road.

All of the smaller EG series get that style drafthood. It's 100% OEM.


As far as I could figure out, the *0 versions are all "modified" downfired versions of the EG-*5 which is actually the full size boiler.

So an EG-45 is the full size, the EG-40 is downfired and tweaked from the original design.

Jstar also felt this had something to do with us not being able to use a barometric with my EG-40.

> @JUGHNE said:
> Well, I stand corrected, it looked "field made" (homemade) because of the galv tin and the screws looked a little random spaced from the back side..............I just don't get to town much .
>
> One less thing for the homeowner to worry about.
>
> However shouldn't this have a solid base under it? Looks like the minimum concrete blocks under it. (I know picky-picky little things)

Yes the foundation must be reasonably sealed to limit combustion air

With your current installed single 2” riser piping on an EG-40 boiler has steam exit velocity of 31 feet per second, if you were to follow the manual Weil-Mclain is recommending 22 FPS with 2-1/2” pipe, OR using two 2” risers will get you to a perfect 15 FPS.

> @Dave0176 said:
> Weil-McLain modified the install instructions for Series 5 boilers. They actually give the option of using the second riser in 2” pipe.

I don't think they ever stopped you from using it. You can always go above and beyond the minimum recommended piping.

I'll just leave these here for you @JohnNY

Lennox GSB- 299kbtu
one of central jerseys "big steam guys"
measured one apartment and figured all the rest were the same.
was notorious for getting to a job, seeing a parallel-flow system and yanked as hard he could down on the main because the condensate had to "flow back to the boiler."

JohnNY said:

Is it wrong that I'm entertained by these messed-up-boiler posts that happen all the time?

EBEBRATT-Ed said:

@JohnNY , kinda like watching a car wreck. The more watching you do the worse the wrecks get

I don't think anyone can say it's wrong, but I'm not entertained, more like disgusted.

These problems are often the reason people pay some company to come in, rip the entire system out and put forced air in and that's not helping anyone on this forum.