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1940’s American Steam Boiler

NoviceMike
NoviceMike Member Posts: 5
edited June 2021 in Radiant Heating
Can anyone provide a descriptive name for the ceramic disk plates inside the boiler? One better - where can I get a replacement?

Comments

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,453
    Might have to change the burner. Maybe Lynn Products but I doubt it.

    Can you post a few more pictures standing back from the boiler?
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 9,575
    (you will need a professional that understands combustion analysis to set up whatever you replace this with).
  • STEVEusaPA
    STEVEusaPA Member Posts: 6,506
    20's? Might be asbestos.
    steve
    mattmia2
  • NoviceMike
    NoviceMike Member Posts: 5

  • NoviceMike
    NoviceMike Member Posts: 5
    Would you know what the technical ‘name’ of that disk?
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 9,575
    It is part of that conversion burner, not the boiler, you would have to pursue that. or just replace the burner with a gas power burner. BTW, i think that boiler is 30's or 40's, it is relatively modern.
    NoviceMike
  • jerryb46
    jerryb46 Member Posts: 59
    looks like a American Stand severn boiler,that thing your talking about is a hanging ceramic baffle , once quite popular in the 40s,50s.Getting a new one might be hard but with the internet some supply house somewhere i bet has one in a dark corner.You might be able to patch that one by drilling holes and piece of angle iron on the back side, should last a few more years, why not upgrade the boiler?
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,453
    I think @mattmia2

    is right. Not 20s. 40s is my guess

    Install a combustion chamber and a new gas burner. Your not finding parts for that
  • NoviceMike
    NoviceMike Member Posts: 5
    edited June 2021
    @Jerryb46 - brilliant advice on the angle iron across the break.  The two halves ceramic baffles are mostly fine except broken in half.   What to use to drill?  Masonry bit?  Don’t want to break it further. SS bolts fine or other suggestion?  Just might work!
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    @NoviceMike , I think it's the Severn model as @jerryb46 says. If the flue passages don't have proper baffles, you're wasting a lot of heat up the chimney.

    That ceramic piece looks like a flame spreader, but this burner setup hasn't been made in decades. You might get lucky fixing that one or finding a replacement, but what if it breaks again? In the middle of January?

    At the very least, I'd put in a modern burner and firebox, and baffle the flue passages. The better course of action is to completely replace the boiler. This will give the best possible efficiency, and parts will be readily available.

    Also, I see some sort of tank in the piping to the left of the boiler. Can we get a shot of that? Also a couple radiators.

    Where are you located?
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • NoviceMike
    NoviceMike Member Posts: 5
    @Steamhead - located in Chicago land area.  I have a secondary HVAC in the home and only use it’s heat in the transitional season (Oct/Nov & April/May).  I love the seam heat and use it as primary during deep winter. 
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    That's an unusual system. The piping hookup to the radiator is one I haven't seen before. Same with the tank. It's definitely two-pipe, maybe a local variation. More pics please!

    The radiator is a Rococo, made by American Radiator Co. What a beauty!

    Fortunately, you have one of the best Steam Men that's ever been, right there in Chicagoland: Dave Bunnell, known as @The Steam Whisperer . Here's his info:

    https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/the-steam-whisperer-boiler-professionals-inc
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
    mattmia2STEVEusaPA
  • burnskp5
    burnskp5 Member Posts: 1
    Anyone knows where I can find a firebox for an American Radiator steam boiler I am guessing is was built in 1941?
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 9,575
    You will have to assemble it from refractory or find a generic refractory that fits or some combination thereof.
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,453
    Lynn products.

    But your not going to find a specific part or part # for that old boiler. You going to have to find something you can use