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New Yorker WC Boiler Rebuild Project

Posted: Sun. Apr. 06, 2014 7:58 am
by NoSmoke
Well it is underway, my new Yorker WC-90 Wood Boiler Rebuild Project.

It all started with a local ad in a swap magazine, a quick call, a visit and then an exchange of money. For better or worse, I spent $700 on the unit, built in 1983, but hardly used. It looked good, but how can you tell until you inspect it, and over the years I have found the best way to inspect something is to clean it. Now granted I did not expect to spend 6 hours doing that, but that is how long it took. Granted I did power wire brush every external inch of it, and hand wire brushed the firebox and ash pan, so it was super clean. After doing that I was extremely happy as it is impeccable shape.

We were without our four daughters for the weekend so my wife Katie wanted to go on a date, so I took her to a nice steakhouse with the understanding that we would have to go to Home Depot to gets some stove parts. I get really focused when I get into a project and this rebuild will be no exception, so I did not want the date-night to be a wasted trip! We also like to get dressed up when we go on dates so Katie got quite a few stares walking around the plumbing aisle of Home Depot from the guys in there. It was funny watching a few walk into things blatantly staring, but to their credit she was in a fire engine red miniskirt that only reached the third way point from her waist to her knees, and had black high heels on, which in Home Depot in Maine apparently is rare as witnessed by the stares she got.

This morning I got up early and got a fresh coat of paint on it, more to prevent future rust then anything else. It will never be seen under insulation and its shroud granted, but I like to do things right. The parts we got were no more then plugs so that I can put compressed air to the water jacket and see if it has some pin hole leaks. I really doubt it as it looks really clean and the rust was all minor, surface rust. But I would feel better knowing it at least held air.

Re: New Yorker WC Boiler Rebuild Project

Posted: Sun. Apr. 06, 2014 8:06 am
by NoSmoke
So far the biggest issue has been a draft blower that was not on the unit, and a stuck grate.

We had a blower from another heating appliance kicking around so I need to install that, but the stuck grate was the worse issue so far to date. The forward grate had jumped the shaking fingers and was stuck solid to the unit. I used a hammer, an compressed air power chisel and finally WD-40 to loosen it, but now that they are all replaced and greased up with Never Seize, the grates wobble effortlessly. Still I found a 1 inch piece of pipe and made a handle for the stove's shaker grate as well. After that it was putting all the unbolted parts back on, making sure everything was rust free, painted and never seized under it as I went. That felt great, after 6 hours of cleaning the unit I was ready for things to go back together.

I figure I have several hurdles ahead:

1: Plumb the boiler into my existing radiant floor heat propane boiler
2: Fabricate the draft blower with intake for outside air
3: Build a proper chimney for it
4: Fabricate a water coil since this unit did not come with that option in it

It should be a great project I am thinking, and hopefully will serve my family well for a few more years.

Re: New Yorker WC Boiler Rebuild Project

Posted: Sun. Apr. 06, 2014 8:36 am
by crazy4coal
Just a heads up, Do not use all air! Fill the boiler with water first all he way and then put air to it. You'll be much safer if there is a large failure. Compressed air alone can do some real damage. Be safe.

Re: New Yorker WC Boiler Rebuild Project

Posted: Sun. Apr. 06, 2014 8:51 am
by McGiever
What would be a Max. pressure to use for the test?
30lbs. is the max a hot water system would see before the PRV would normally release...my domestic water pressure does better than that for a test, so maybe NO air.

Re: New Yorker WC Boiler Rebuild Project

Posted: Sun. Apr. 06, 2014 9:01 am
by coaledsweat
10-30# is fine. Fill with water, charge with air to pressurize and shut the valve and let it sit. If it is going to leak, you'll know soon enough. You could do it with air at say 5# and wait overnight but you would never find where a small leak is. :)

Re: New Yorker WC Boiler Rebuild Project

Posted: Sun. Apr. 06, 2014 9:04 am
by Rob R.
Does the current draft blower blow into the firebox or in the area under the grates?

Re: New Yorker WC Boiler Rebuild Project

Posted: Sun. Apr. 06, 2014 9:09 am
by NoSmoke
I say this as a welder and not as a HVAC Tech because that I am not the latter...but when we tested pressure vessels at an old job, we could use air or water in testing. Air was always significantly lower then water in pressure, so I planned on putting only 10 psi in which is what we always used.

I am 99% sure the boiler is sound anyway, but for $15 in plugs, I can find out for sure and feel better for the rest of the rebuild knowing the water jacket is good at least.

There was only one spot that had been rewelded, and even that looked like a factory made weld. We do the same thing at work all the time when we get uncut on our welds and just spot it back in. It was a Wire Feeder weld too which the factory used. If it was an owner-repair, it was done well, so I have confidence in it. But just to be sure...

Re: New Yorker WC Boiler Rebuild Project

Posted: Sun. Apr. 06, 2014 9:10 am
by NoSmoke
Rob R. wrote:Does the current draft blower blow into the firebox or in the area under the grates?
Under the grates.

Re: New Yorker WC Boiler Rebuild Project

Posted: Wed. Apr. 09, 2014 7:13 pm
by NoSmoke
The old girl held...well 10 psi of compressed air for 3 days anyway, and I felt that was good enough to call the water jacket sound.

Now it is on to a chimney installation, plumbing it to my existing stem, adding on a draft blower...and putting up about 6 cord of wood! It is going to be a longggggggg summer!

Re: New Yorker WC Boiler Rebuild Project

Posted: Thu. Apr. 10, 2014 10:37 am
by whistlenut
The combustion blower can be changed out with any suitable steel bodied blower and you could move it up, around or to anywhere you like. That boiler can be hard on the side shields, so if you hear of any, grab them. They may need to be remade by yourself, not a stock item, anymore.

Re: New Yorker WC Boiler Rebuild Project

Posted: Thu. Apr. 10, 2014 6:33 pm
by NoSmoke
Thanks for the heads up on the side shields. This one came with them all intact, but atlas, a bit beat up. I plan to turn my attention to them shortly by taking out the dents and giving it a new paint job with anything other then that drab green color!

I checked online and was not able to find a replacement for that draft blower, so I'll just modify the one I had kicking around from another heater. Thanks for letting me know that just about anything will do. It is a simple boiler for sure.

Re: New Yorker WC Boiler Rebuild Project

Posted: Sat. Apr. 12, 2014 7:57 pm
by NoSmoke
I finally pulled the plugs on the ole boiler this evening and after a week, the water jacket still was holding compressed air. I'll call that water tight for sure.

I did manage to bang out the dents in the outer side shields and get the stove painted black, which is far better than that Avocado Green it was wearing, and yes it was all high temperature paint.

I even managed to get most of the fittings back on, get the high temperature switch and aquastat back in with wires run to the primary junction box. I also got some wiring done on the draft blower, of which that is the next project to start on. That should not be too bad.

My father and I did discuss if the high limit over temperature switch (L4006B) is even required. I understand the concept...I am just not sure it would do much good in a radiant floor system where my zone valves are almost always on anyway. I think this would make a dump zone necessary, but my father thinks it wouldn't occur enough to bother with. Who is right?

Re: New Yorker WC Boiler Rebuild Project

Posted: Sat. Apr. 12, 2014 8:18 pm
by whistlenut
Please create a dump zone! It can be mitigated by adding more expansion tankage. Run away hand feds are an adventure, so anything you can add to calm the beast when it goes on a 'walk-about'
will make me sleep better. Another thought is something I do on all my boilers: Get the SOAB up in the air a few inches, perhaps a foot or more. Loading is no issue, but shaking the grates and refilling are. On the floor, you can't see anything unless you are 'vertically challenged', so why not get it off the floor. I know it's 780 lbs with no water, but you will thank me later. Even if you use an old boiler for a dump zone, you have provided some means to bleed off some btu's........and you can use it as a heater if you wanted.

To be frank, I am trying to protect you lovely wife in her mini......and feeding the boiler . No bending over will allow you some degree of composure if she is loading or ashing. .......just trying to keep you on the straight and narrow........

Re: New Yorker WC Boiler Rebuild Project

Posted: Sun. Apr. 13, 2014 8:04 am
by NoSmoke
I joked with my wife that if she had worn her red dress while we were negotiating the price of the boiler, we might have got a few hundred taken off the price, as the original owner was a truck driver. Granted it is not fair to stereotype that occupation, but being an older gentlemen he might have enjoyed the look.

In serious now, I value your advice, as well as the advice of others on this site, so I appreciate your suggestion of a dump zone. My father has a similar set up that he did last year, but tied a pellet boiler in with an oil boiler, but as you mention, it is not a hand fed stove which simplifies a lot of things. The suggestion of a boiler got me to thinking though, I have an steam radiator kicking around in the back shed; would that work as a possible dump zone? I could possibly hang the old steam heater in my unheated woodworking shop and put the occasional heat out there. I assume the L4006 could activate a 24 volt switch to turn on the 110 volt electric blower it has? It is only 6 feet away from my boiler room making for easy plumbing. Other alternatives are a 55 gallon drums and a 275 gallon oil tank I have kicking around. Could they be used as well?

The suggestion to lift the boiler is also a good one. It would not be easy to vertically lift that bad boy, but you are right, it would be best...in the interest of maintaining my wife's modesty of course. :-)

Here was what she was wearing when we went out to get the boiler fittings at Home Depot. It is not the best picture granted but you can be the judge if you think we could have got a few hundred off from the cost of the boiler just for the look she had going, and why the guy at Home Depot piled into a cart full of lumber. Who says rebuilding old boilers is boring. :-)

Re: New Yorker WC Boiler Rebuild Project

Posted: Sun. Apr. 13, 2014 11:12 am
by whistlenut
I was doing well to try NOT looking at the pic while composing a thought about NOT using a 275 or a 55 for a dump zone. Pressure vessel...normally 12 to 15 psig, and a 275 won't take. I think they are rated at 7 psi MAX. Now the damned red dress......I'm at a loss as where to go or what to say........I'd imagine your friends call you "Lucky' don't they???????

A modine style heater works great because the blower scrubs off heat rapidly. I used to have a 250K unit that is off in the hinterlands of PA right now........I need to go get some fresh air and not think about little red dresses........only enough blood to run one system at a time....afraid I'll crash into something in the garage..........