my boiler has dissolved...

patrykrebisz · September 14

Can anyone recommend reasonably-priced plumber to install a new steam boiler in Peekskill NY area?

Long story:
Last winter, i've noticed a very high water intake on my Burnham V8H5 steam oil burner. In just a few months it had 350 gallons of water added. A month ago i decided to poke around and discovered highly corroded top of cast iron. It had small holes everywhere.

As someone who has fixed vintage cars, naively i though i could patch it up with some high strength, steam resistant epoxy. I prepared the cast iron surfaces diligently.

Well… you can image, it didn't work too well. After a short burn i decided to open up the boiler again to see how the epoxy was holding up. It kept delineating from the cast iron because the cast iron is so porous that it sponged up the internal moisture to the surface.

As i carefully chiseled away the epoxy, i saw chunks of the brittle rusted cast iron coming off. As i kept poking, the holes got bigger and bigger. Finally, the holes were so big, so i could easily look inside the boiler. I've never seen an object rusted up so badly. It seems there was nothing but huge chunks of badly malformed brown "sand cake" everywhere.

As last resort, and this time i don't hold my breath, i'll try to tap a few holes and patch the holes with large thick metal plates with high temp silicon used to make gaskets in car engines. The problem is that the metal on this boiler appears to be nonexistent.

Every time i touch it, more corroded chunks fall off.

Sadly, after just 9 years this Burnham boiler has dissolved itself from the inside out and the 10-year Burnham so-called "warranty" is worth less than the paper it's printed on (we just bought the house 1 year ago).

In the past year i've learned a ton about steam heat, pressuretrols, Beckett burners… But I'm a bit skirmish to start working with the 2-3in pipes swapping the boiler. I would rather let a pro do it. Any recommendations for reasonably-priced installer to install a new steam oil burner in Peekskill NY area?

EBEBRATT-Ed · September 14

I don't know exactly where Peekskill is but now we have your location others will respond. You can also check "find a contractor" on this site. I just checked your only 35 miles from the city.

Maybe @JohnNY or @Mad Dog_2 could recommend someone?

For a boiler to waste out in 9 years there must be some issues like excessive water usage caused by leaks

Steamhead · September 14

Start here:

https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/state/NY/

And get a Burnham MegaSteam this time. It will last a whole lot longer and has the best warranty in the business.

Jamie Hall · September 14

Not sure if @EzzyT or @Charlie from wmass go that way, or even if they are licensed in New York, but they're both excellent.

Are you on city water or a well? You may have a water quality problem…

EzzyT · September 14

@patrykrebisz I work in Westchester county all of the time. You can reach me at (201) 887-8856

Mad Dog_2 · September 14

There aren't many competent steam guys in your area. While we all want a "reasonable" price, you should be more focused on competence and experience with The Steam...Mad Dog

EBEBRATT-Ed · September 14

@patrykrebisz @EzzyT is your guy………If you want it done right.

Pumpguy · September 17

I would be very concerned about the water chemistry; especially the pH. As a general rule, you want the water to be somewhat alkaline; somewhere around 8 or so on the pH scale.

If your system is taking on a lot of make-up water, this is probably due to leaks and the untreated water can be very corrosive.

my boiler has dissolved...

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