Water Jacket Compromised?

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ChrisC
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Post by ChrisC » Sun. Apr. 15, 2018 10:26 am

Hello,
I just bought a Van Wert boiler. I thought I would tear the skin off of it and possibly replace the insulation. I also thought I would delete the domestic water heater coils seeing that I would not need them. When I took the coils out, I noticed "A lot" of black chalk like soot within the water jacket.......thick (1/16 of an inch) :o I am new at "coal" boilers, but this doesn't seem right. I expected to see rust......not coal soot. If anywhere, I would have expected to see coal soot in the burn box........in which their is rust. My question is, did I buy a $2,000 boat anchor? :no1: :yes: .....I am very worried about this and want to know if this is normal and or fixable......I have thought about tearing the whole thing apart and rebuilding it, but it will be difficult in that the whole thing was painted at one point in time......and, yes, painted over rust. (the nuts/bolts will not come out easily)
Also, do you guys know of a product I can dump into the water jacket to clean all the soot out?

Thank for the help,
Chris

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Sun. Apr. 15, 2018 10:32 am

C, you gotta post some pix of all that situation. Make for better factual suggestions rather then shootin in the dark.

 
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windyhill4.2
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Sun. Apr. 15, 2018 10:44 am

freetown fred wrote:
Sun. Apr. 15, 2018 10:32 am
C, you gotta post some pix of all that situation. Make for better factual suggestions rather then shootin in the dark.
Good suggestion. :yes:

If i am reading correctly,this black "soot" is in the water chamber area.If that is correct,it is likely just the settlement from minerals in the water,possibly combined with "boiler" treatment chemicals like anti-corrosion & leak sealer. My boiler had some of that too,some of which fell out when moving the boiler ,the rest of it was sucked out by shop vac & air nozzle blasts.

 
ChrisC
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Post by ChrisC » Sun. Apr. 15, 2018 11:31 am

Thanks,
1st pic, inside boiler where domestic coil sits.
2nd pic, water coil covered in soot.
3rd pic, soot finger.....everything covered in 1/16" chalky soot.
InsideBoiler1.jpeg
.JPEG | 378.3KB | InsideBoiler1.jpeg
InsideBoiler2Coil.jpeg
.JPEG | 464.3KB | InsideBoiler2Coil.jpeg
SootFinger.jpeg
.JPEG | 301.6KB | SootFinger.jpeg
Thanks a lot.

 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Sun. Apr. 15, 2018 11:45 am

There is no such thing as "soot" in an anthracite coal boiler. Usually the first order of business when acquiring an old coal boiler is a pressure test. This will tell you right away if you have a boiler or a boat anchor.

As far as the stuff inside goes, all kinds of junk as been found inside old boilers. It depends on if it was left open, weather it was used in a steam system and what kind of water was put in it. This thread is by far the most junk I ever heard of inside an old coal boiler.
Difference between a Keystoker KA6 and KFA

You will need to remove both return plugs and bushings and give the boiler a good flushing with hot water. Since you have the DHW coil out, you can get right in there with the hose or pressure washer. If you are real ambitious, you should remove the third return plug in the front of the boiler, It's easy for gunk to get trapped in that front section.

-Don


 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Sun. Apr. 15, 2018 12:04 pm

Like SD said, if it passes a pressure test you have no issue. It is amazing that there is no orange color, someone took good care of that boiler.

 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Sun. Apr. 15, 2018 12:12 pm

That boiler actually looks pretty good inside! Remove the return plugs and bushings and flush it out.

-Don

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Sun. Apr. 15, 2018 12:20 pm

Yes, I should of also mentioned, like SD did, now is your chance to give it a good wash and rinse.

How old is that boiler? I poked around and see it was stated prior that it was made in 1985. :)
Last edited by McGiever on Sun. Apr. 15, 2018 12:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sun. Apr. 15, 2018 12:22 pm

A black coating is normal, and the boiler looks good to me. Rinse it out well and add a boiler treatment product when you put it in service.


http://hydronichappenings.blogspot.com/2011/10/wh ... k.html?m=1

 
ChrisC
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Post by ChrisC » Sun. Apr. 15, 2018 12:50 pm

........phewwwwww!........... :D
Thanks guys! I will give it a good flush and pressure test it. I also thought of tearing it apart and clean all rings and "horn" of the stoker. I just thought it weird that I seen that in the water cap. This is an ongoing project that I hope to have done this summer for good reliable heat next winter and beyond.

Thanks Again, Very Much,

Chris


 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Sun. Apr. 15, 2018 4:01 pm

When I bought my Axeman, it had been sitting for 27 years. The water drained from the pressure vessel was crystal clear. From the water coil, it was nasty and black. Nothing leaked but that was an ugly event watching it drain.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sun. Apr. 15, 2018 4:09 pm

I think a lot of it depends on the system connected to the boiler. e.g. a large cast iron radiation system might produce more deposits than a copper baseboard, or the other way around.

My EFM had that black slimy layer as well.

Image

 
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franpipeman
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Post by franpipeman » Fri. Apr. 20, 2018 7:41 am

Water in boiler is a science in itself . I wish I knew more about it . I asked a well known old timer water treatment guy i knew why does the water alway get black in boiler and chiller application or basically hydronics, and Was told Iron oxide particles. ? My current system is a efm 520 & stainless modulating condensing propane boiler , some black pipe and a lot of pex (radiant) and it is a clear liquid with a black hue to it . Likely due to the steel pipe and pressure vessels
I would flush a system made of 8 and 10 inch pipe till it was crystal clear and in two days it was Black again.

 
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BunkerdCaddis
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Post by BunkerdCaddis » Fri. Apr. 20, 2018 5:36 pm

Some one correct me if I am wrong but if I understand correctly the black deposit is what you get instead of rust, in a low oxygen steel/hydronic environment. In other words, the presence of a light dusting of black powder on the inside is a sign of a properly maintained boiler that did not have to have fresh water added very often.

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