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??? Any idea what this is???

Hello WALL!
It's been a while. Hope everyone is doing well. I saw this in another forum. any clue as to what it is?


Robert O'Connor/NJ

Comments

  • Fred
    Fred Member Posts: 8,542
    Crazy! I'd like to know what that is too.
  • RomanP
    RomanP Member Posts: 102
    Wow.
  • leonz
    leonz Member Posts: 1,095
    edited June 2018
    I think it is an old wet steam heater with a small firebox and ash drawer. there would have been small series of smoke holes surrounding the tapered hot water pipe stack that was piped off to the nearest chimney with the outer ring acting as a base connection for the chimney pipe connection

    The top plug was removed and water was added to it and the u trap was drained as needed when the water in the U trap was filling the trap completely preventing the wet steam from exiting the stack quickly to the second riser and beyond

    It reminds me of the old wood fired metal shell within a shell hot water heaters from Mexico that had a conical teepee type firebox and small diameter 3 inch chimney smoke stack .
    If I remember right you filled the water heater with water at the top by removing a pipe plug and you started your fire and then when the water was hot enough you used it. Some of them were hooked up to large roof mounted water tanks to provide hot water under gravity pressure.

    in the picture you provided I think it had a chimney stack connection surrounding the base of the pipe-hence the rust on the conical pipe section.
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,042
    Did see a picture of a clothes drier closet somewhere.
    But the firebox was outside of the closet.

    This seems to be in to much of a formal (upstairs) place in the house? for that function. Usually would be in the downstairs kitchen/laundry.
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,584
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    Got me. There might be a fireplace to the right of this thing, but the pipe goes off the the left. And if that's a firebox, it's pretty small..........
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 5,804
    The first camping trip I took in Boy Scouts, the olders guys sent us to other troops at the site to find and borrow a Left Handed Smoke Shifter.
    I think I finally found it.
    GBartZman
  • GBart
    GBart Member Posts: 746
    ??????
  • Shalom
    Shalom Member Posts: 165
    Goliath's saxophone, maybe.
  • GBart
    GBart Member Posts: 746
    edited June 2018
    Actually it is a steam powered horn, in 1868 England, Lord Flatulance was tired of waiting for his son to get up in the morning so he had the local pipefitter invent this horn so he could flip a valve in the dining room and get his son out of bed pronto. It is one of a kind.
    STEVEusaPAIronmanRobert O'Connor_12
  • Fred
    Fred Member Posts: 8,542
    GBart said:

    Actually it is a steam powered horn, in 1868 England, Lord Flatulance was tired of waiting for his son to get up in the morning so he had the local pipefitter invent this horn so he could flip a valve in the dining room and get his son out of bed pronto. It is one of a kind.

    Yea, Right
  • STEVEusaPA
    STEVEusaPA Member Posts: 6,506
    GBart said:

    Actually it is a steam powered horn, in 1868 England, Lord Flatulance ...

    It actually was Lord of Flatulance

    I really hope we get an answer on this, I, like many are very curious. I think @leonz has the best response so far.
    steve
  • GBart
    GBart Member Posts: 746
    Fred said:

    GBart said:

    Actually it is a steam powered horn, in 1868 England, Lord Flatulance was tired of waiting for his son to get up in the morning so he had the local pipefitter invent this horn so he could flip a valve in the dining room and get his son out of bed pronto. It is one of a kind.

    Yea, Right
    gee what gave it away??
  • GBart
    GBart Member Posts: 746
    edited June 2018


    I even have a picture, my lords and ladies, Lord Flatulance
    Ironman
  • Robert O'Connor_12
    Robert O'Connor_12 Member Posts: 728
    I still don't have a clue! LOL
    I figured if anyone would know, you guys would.

    Robert O'Connor/NJ
  • Shalom
    Shalom Member Posts: 165
    GBart said:

    Lord Flatulance .

    Reminds me of the (in)famous Crepitation Contest of 1940, between Paul Boomer of Australia and Lord Windesmeare of Wopping Foghole, England.

    I won't link it, but it's out there. Narrated by Sydney S, Brown, incidentally, who was one of Canada's top sportscasters of the day.
    GBart
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,584
    Sir loin of Beef also had one in his house as well.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
    GBart
  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,561
    I think you guys are going in the right direction.
    My guess is that it is in a place of worship and in part of an organ. I am thinking 200 year old subwoofer.
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
    GBart
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    edited June 2018
    ChrisJ said:

    Sir loin of Beef also had one in his house as well.

    I think Emperor Tuchasfaceius did too.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • GBart
    GBart Member Posts: 746
    It is definitely odd, doubt there was any type of fire in it, but there seems to be some tin lining inside the cabinet, maybe some sort of horn driven by steam with the trap to protect it from water?? which would have to be manually drained?
  • Gsmith
    Gsmith Member Posts: 431
    What was the context of hte original picture? What type structure was it in? What type room? Is there anything of interest in the room near the cabinet?
  • Danny Scully
    Danny Scully Member Posts: 1,416
    “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” :lol:
    GBartIronman
  • GBart
    GBart Member Posts: 746
    looks like a church or mansion
  • ScottSecor
    ScottSecor Member Posts: 851
    Could it be for the pipe organ?
    Zman
  • STEVEusaPA
    STEVEusaPA Member Posts: 6,506
    Is it the Pope/No Pope machine?
    steve
    GBart
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,584
    Looks like something from Dr Seuss
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • Fred
    Fred Member Posts: 8,542
    It looks like the metal liner on the inside of that right door has rusted away. It must have something to do with steam, a humidifier, or something that involved water/moisture.
  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,561
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
    Tim Potter
  • lchmb
    lchmb Member Posts: 2,997
    some guy probably built this thing thinking "in 100 years they are going to be completely stumped"... he was right...
  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,367
    The Duke of Earl obtained this at the request of his lunatic son, Baron of Gray Matter. The poor boy was an infamous drug addict and he thought this was a giant bong!
    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
    AMservices
  • the_donut
    the_donut Member Posts: 374
    Is it next to a baptismal font?
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 5,804
    Looks like there was a plate stamping on the clean spot on the front of the box.
    Did it feed a small room for an early gas/poison chamber?
    GBart
  • Gordy
    Gordy Member Posts: 9,546
    It's a smoker piped to the meat smoking chamber..........
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,272
    edited June 2018
    It sure would be nice to get more photos of the unit, with any doors open, etc, so we could get a better idea what the true function might be. With the extended flue pipe, it seems to be some sort of space heater.... or maybe a combo heater/bong? :p

    Yours, Larry

    ps. Notice the thin metal doors? Lends credence to the idea of a heater. ;)
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,513
    I think it's a room heater.
    Retired and loving it.
    ratio
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,513
    Lol
    Retired and loving it.