Coil Gasket replacement

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stovepipemike
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Post by stovepipemike » Sun. Aug. 26, 2018 8:19 am

At the end of last heating season I kept seeing a drop in boiler pressure. It turned out to be the domestic coil gasket on the New Yorker boiler tied into the Keystoker. Time is ticking and since the leaves are dropping on my apple trees and since they are talking about some cruel outside heat over the beginning of the week ,it is time to stay in the coolness of the basement and get out the torch and socket set. Aside from getting everything clean and flat what is the current hot setup for putting on the new gasket? Is dry best, how about some type of tube silicone, a little pipe dope or maybe Permatex? What works better than anything else ? I don't mind doing it once but twice is never nice. Thanks Guys.

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Sun. Aug. 26, 2018 8:33 am

S, all I can say is Permatex makes a WIDE variety if silicones to withstand heat, moisture, etc. if you go that route.

 
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Post by coalnewbie » Sun. Aug. 26, 2018 9:48 am

Including a black ultra Permatex that I used to glue a threadless back wheel on the Ford Jubillee. Every time I take a corner I cringe but two years later it is still on.

 
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Post by lzaharis » Sun. Aug. 26, 2018 10:40 am

Permatex makes great high temperature sealants and if you want to use a
dry gasket that is an option but the issue is the steel flange and what the
flange looks like after you scrape the gasket off.
Can you purchase new replacement gaskets for the existing boiler?
You should plan on using emery paper to remove any remaining gasket
material that is on the coil flange AND the boilers weldment.
cleaning the threads on the studs will also be a must as you need to be able
to properly torque the nuts using blue loctite to hold them in place after you
push the domestic hot water coil in place
You will have to decide if you want to wet the emery paper first before you
start sanding as you will want to have the best clean surface to mount the
domestic hot water coils mounting flange plate back on the older boiler.
I am unsure how small( being narrow) the sanding strap wheels come in
width but that could also be an option to clean the flange and the mating
surface on the older boiler.


 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Sun. Aug. 26, 2018 11:02 am

coalnewbie wrote:
Sun. Aug. 26, 2018 9:48 am
Including a black ultra Permatex that I used to glue a threadless back wheel on the Ford Jubillee. Every time I take a corner I cringe but two years later it is still on.
I use the Ultra Black to, real good stuff. After cleaning the surfaces really good, I smear a thin coat on to both surfaces working it into any pits in the metal. Then I leave it skin up for an hour or so before installing the coil and gasket.

-Don

 
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Post by coaledsweat » Sun. Aug. 26, 2018 12:09 pm

The trick is to remember to not overtighten and then resnug it every week for a month. The boiler breathes and the gasket gives up some thickness over time. I resnug yearly after that.

 
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Post by stovepipemike » Tue. Aug. 28, 2018 6:23 pm

Today was the day that I thought would be a good time to get the pesky gasket replaced on the domestic coil of the New Yorker boiler. Too hot to be outside anyway. When I dropped the pressure ,drew down the water below the bottom of the weldment flange for the coil, removed the triple aquastat relay I found that the leaking/rusting was working more than I thought. There was festering type rust on both of the gasket mating surfaces. Rust was beginning to run down the face of the coil flange at most of the bolt holes. I thought the thing to do was hit the rust with the angle grinder with the cupped wire brush fitted. When I looked at the closeness of the copper coil to the rusted mounting plate surfaces I thought better of it because I realized one slip with the angle grinder I would be taking a piece out of that lovely copper. I used a carbide scraper followed by a sanding with 180 paper made everything very smooth and very flat. The local store had a sale on something called JB Weld RTV ultimate black sealant/gasket maker . I smoothed on a thin even coat on the entire surface areas. I let it tack up nice and it was beautiful to work with. I know this replacement was a good move as the leaking gasket was very hard, brittle and broke up in my hand when I took it off the coil. I reused the fasteners [3/8 X16 nuts and bolts] after I chased all threads with the tap and die set. The inside of the boiler has a black patina on everything and there is no rusting whatsoever, not even the tie rods. It was a good time to check pressure on the expansion tanks, so I did that also. It took all day but I cannot move too fast these days. It sure was a fun thing to get complete on a Gulf of Tonkin kind of day . It is holding 12 pounds right now. Thank you everyone for your advice. Mike

 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Tue. Aug. 28, 2018 7:06 pm

Good job Mike!

Sounds like you caught it just in time. Those DHW coil gaskets will start leaking and because the boiler is hot, the water evaporates before you see it. You have to look under the cover to find it. When undetected, it will literally eat through the boiler. This is the number one cause of premature boiler death.

I have not seen that "JB Weld RTV ultimate black sealant/gasket maker" before./ It sounds like good stuff. Let us know how it works out.

-Don


 
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Post by stovepipemike » Wed. Aug. 29, 2018 6:54 am

Don, I think you summed up the situation perfectly. Most of the serious corrosion was happening behind where the sheet metal or the base of the flange hid it nicely. Even when I had to add water almost daily last winter I never saw any wetness and kept thinking it must be inside the boiler or up in the walls someplace. Almost anything on the boiler is better than to start opening ceilings and walls. Now the next step is to get some coal and a hundred gallons of backup heating oil. It was a bad year [2018] and I ran things too low for comfort. Mike

 
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Post by janitor_ed » Sat. Sep. 08, 2018 7:01 am

Does anyone know of a source for larger pieces of gasket material? I've tried the local stores but the largest piece I can find is 6 in. X 6 in. I need a piece of gasket material more on the order of 12 inches wide to reinstall my DHW coil.

 
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Post by coaledsweat » Sat. Sep. 08, 2018 7:22 am

Try an auto parts store, they should have an assortment.

 
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Post by stovepipemike » Sun. Sep. 09, 2018 8:40 am

I agree, a good auto parts store might be what you need. The only thing to be careful about is thickness. This gasket I got for the New Yorker boiler came from a plumbing supply and was made just for the boiler I have. It was a dense black rubber-like material ,very stiff but not too hard. Could you also try a good plumbing supply? Don't expect much from a big box store. Please let us know how you make out with this hunt. Cool nights are coming soon. Mike

 
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Post by lzaharis » Sun. Sep. 09, 2018 10:40 am

janitor_ed wrote:
Sat. Sep. 08, 2018 7:01 am
Does anyone know of a source for larger pieces of gasket material? I've tried the local stores but the largest piece I can find is 6 in. X 6 in. I need a piece of gasket material more on the order of 12 inches wide to reinstall my DHW coil.
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You can also check on the Mcmaster Carr Web site for gasket material of many types.
The accept Visa, Master Card, American Express and bank money orders for payment of purchases.

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