Estimated life expectancy?

danmayer175 · March 5

Anyone care to hazard a guess on the life expectancy of my boiler? It was installed in 1996 so it's nearing 30 years old. The bottom is rusty including flakes that seem to be concentrated at the joints between sections. But those joints aren't leaking (at least not currently). Does a leak ever seal itself up with rust? Another heating season? Or replace now?

ChrisJ · March 5

What does the top of the boiler look like?

ethicalpaul · March 5

If it were me, I'd replace it this summer. What would the point be of delaying it? Rolling the dice on having it fail in January?

mikedo · March 5

what brand is it

danmayer175 · March 5

It's a Burnham V7. @ChrisJ Do you mean top of the sections under the hood?

ChrisJ · March 5

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1846832#Comment_1846832

The tops of the sections looking down the flue passages.

Intplm. · March 5

@danmayer175 You can add some boiler seal to the boiler. Boiler seal will buy you some time while gathering the funds to get this done as soon as possible. Get it done in the warm months.Do not wait till the fall.

ethicalpaul · March 5

He says it's not currently leaking so he's got that going for him. And from what I've read of Burnham V7, that thing doesn't owe him anything

AdmiralYoda · March 5

That Burnham could start leaking in 10 days or 10 years. The point is, it has served its useful life and is on borrowed time. If funds are available replace it during the summer when the steam pro's are less busy dealing with emergencies.

If you wait, it is a gamble. Naturally boilers fail during the coldest, most inconvenient time of the year. Sometimes you can limp by until spring, other times you can't and it becomes a true emergency.

dabrakeman · March 5

At the very least you could do the preplanning. 1) Find a good contractor in your area (use the search on this site). 2) Check your boiler sizing relative to the connected radiation sqft edr.

ChrisJ · March 5

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1846884#Comment_1846884

Or do some reading, youtube watching etc and buy some tools and do it yourself if you're good with your hands.

I see they have the covers pulled off so I assume they're at least curious about such things.

ARobertson13 · March 5

The heating season is coming towards the end. If you make it to May, take your time and get someone to replace the unit. Yes, do some research as to what you need. You have till September.

danmayer175 · March 5

All right then. I'll start a new thread to lay out my replacement plans.

EBEBRATT-Ed · March 6

@ethicalpaul

nother Burnham bites the dust!!

@AdmiralYoda 10 days-10 years?? Its a Burnham I will give it 9 days.

danmayer175 · March 6

I hear a lot of gripes about Burnham. But the factory is in my back yard so I was thinking of using one.

ethicalpaul · March 6

just do your research on the model!

nother Burnham bites the dust!!

at least this one had a long life!

Vari-valve is in my backyard but I cringe when I see them in someone's house. And they are seemingly in every house around here.

mattmich · March 6

My understanding of steam boilers is that there's a small number of active brands, with some re-badging going on.

There are models with top taps (Burnham, Weil-McLain, Peerless,..) and those with steam take-offs on the side. (Dunkirk, and at least one other brand that escapes me at the moment). They can work but I wouldn't buy one. Seems like a solution in search of a problem.

Then there is the seal between the sections. Burnham and Peerless use steel push nipples. Weil-McLain uses a type of polymer O-ring that is sensitive to pH. Mine lasted > 30 years but I did not buy another one.

Then there is the Burnham hate; their reputation is all over the map; it may depend on the model.

From all this, I think Peerless is the safest bet. Top tappings, push nipples, and I've never heard anyone say anything bad about the brand. But I only started learning about steam a little over a year ago, so take that into account…

cheers -matt

BobC · March 6

If you stay with Burnham, go with a Megasteam, they are a newer design that is well respected and should give good service over a long life.

Bob

ChrisJ · March 6

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1846983#Comment_1846983

Are you ok Bob?

ethicalpaul · March 6

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1846983#Comment_1846983

Do you feel the same way about the atmospheric gas SteamMax models? Their marketing info also claims a newer design, one where there are no pins above the water line (which makes me wonder why they still offer the IN).

(These are the same models that Peerless recently apparently rebadged and announced as their 63-X series)

STEAM DOCTOR · March 6

I am not sure that the new Peerless is a rebadged Steammax. Some of the specs are different. The right-left dimensions are different and the front-back dimensions are different. The heights seem to be exactly the same. And for what it's worth, I called one of the reps and they did not know anything about the new line. Was the first that they heard of it.

STEAM DOCTOR · March 6

Possible that they are using different jackets, in the same block. Whole thing is weird

ethicalpaul · March 6

OK re-jacketed SteamMax 😅

Nice job noticing those differences @STEAM DOCTOR . The I&O manual is basically identical. I agree the whole thing is weird even to me who is so ignorant about so much of this industry and its players.

Thanks for calling the rep, I was wondering if anyone had done this.

STEAM DOCTOR · March 6

I think Peerless is using sheet metal in between the sections, to bump up the efficiency. I don't think the steam Max uses those

STEAM DOCTOR · March 6

I have not really looked at the manuals carefully

ethicalpaul · March 6

I think Burnham calls them "Flueway baffles" if we're talking about the same thing. But now I'll try to stop hijacking this thread.

STEAM DOCTOR · March 6

You are right. I stand corrected

dabrakeman · March 6

If they are in your (OP) backyard wander over in person and see if anyone is willing to talk about the best boiler they are making. Preferably talk to someone with not so clean hands.

BobC · March 7

I was referring to the 3 pass Steamax, I have not seen enough on the newer pro boilers to have an opinion one way or another.

Please excise my typos, my fingers don't always listen to my alleged brain.

Bob

ChrisJ · March 7

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1847135#Comment_1847135

I think you had it right Bob, you were talking about the 3 pass MegaSteam.

The others are talking about Burnham's latest gas atmospheric boilers.

danmayer175 · March 7

I wish I could burn gas but it's not an option for me. Oil works and my tank is not too old.

ChrisJ · March 7

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1847139#Comment_1847139

Megasteam without a doubt……

Time to start sizing up everything.

AdmiralYoda · March 7

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1847139#Comment_1847139

What @ChrisJ said. The Burnham MegaSteam is by far the best boiler for oil. Many even buy it just to convert it to NG because it is pretty good design.

ethicalpaul · March 7

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1847136#Comment_1847136

I knew he was talking about the MegaSteam, but then I asked if he might also know anything about the newer SteamMax atmospheric which also has some marketing language about being redesigned specifically to do better with rusting out than the IN

techforlife · March 7

About 2 years ago? Peerless started putting flat steel baffles between the sections on ECT and WBV boilers. Lowered stack temp. about 20 degrees F. and increased draft differential by .005. Did I hear that Peerless has discontinued the ECT? I have always liked it for steam.