Friday again folks. 

 

Here "Two Weeks From Anywhere" we're playing the waiting for parts game with "The Battle of The Boiler" 

We've got parts coming from coast to coast and from border to border. 

You know you've called the wrong place when they respond " You want a what for what?" 

And then when you give them a part number they ask "How old is this system?" 

And then when you tell them about 65 years old they respond "Oh that old you've got to be kidding." 

 

Hopefully only one more part to find. 

 

What's on your weekend agenda?  

 

Finishing up a little platter. Needs the bottom recess touched up and another coat of poly.

Getting tests in hospital cardiac unit right now. Hope to be at hands on with Matt Monico this afternoon if I get out of here soon. Tomorrow regular woodturners meeting with Matt demoing.

Just trying to keep it between the lines.

Nothing planned.  Shop time awaits.

13 minutes ago, Gerald said:

Getting tests in hospital cardiac unit right now.

Prayers all is OK. Take care.

Lot's of honey dos to do. Shop time this PM...hopefully. Might make a router bowl. Might not, too 

A few errands once truck thaws so I can open the doors. Men's church group breakfast tomorrow. Church Sunday. Supposed to get to mid 50's Sunday afternoon so may spend some time cleaning and picking up stuff in garage.

38 minutes ago, Gerald said:

Getting tests in hospital cardiac unit right now. Hope to be at hands on with Matt Monico this afternoon if I get out of here soon. Tomorrow regular woodturners meeting with Matt demoing.

Just trying to keep it between the lines.

Hope everything checks out OK

 Other than watching a group of misfits hanging vinyl siding on the neighbor's house I have no plans for the weekend.

I think I'm going up to Souptown and watch Bob's misfits...almost certainly better than daytime TV.

28 minutes ago, DuckSoup said:

 Other than watching a group of misfits hanging vinyl siding on the neighbor's house I have no plans for the weekend.

 

3 minutes ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

I think I'm going up to Souptown and watch Bob's misfits...almost certainly better than daytime TV.

Y'all be careful especially if they start saying, "hold my beer..." usually gets out of control soon after.

 

1 hour ago, Gene Howe said:

Lot's of honey dos to do. Shop time this PM...hopefully. Might make a router bowl. Might not, too 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, DuckSoup said:

 Other than watching a group of misfits hanging vinyl siding on the neighbor's house I have no plans for the weekend.

 

 Live entertainment! 

5 hours ago, Larry Buskirk said:

"The Battle of The Boiler"

Mine has been going out for five years. Kept swapping in fresh thermocouples. Finally this year, nada. No one would tell me the Hoeywell equivalent gas valve, so I guessed, and it was a perfect fit. Even down to the factory stabilizing bracket.

 

The only other problem, it's been leaking for 15 years ... so I add water every month or so.

 

Just cut my dad a piece of veneered masonite to 17" x 9½", sanded the edges, hit it with my go-to. Diluted spirit varnish.

 

Here's to keeping it between the lines.

2 hours ago, Dovetail said:

Mine has been going out for five years. Kept swapping in fresh thermocouples. Finally this year, nada. No one would tell me the Hoeywell equivalent gas valve, so I guessed, and it was a perfect fit. Even down to the factory stabilizing bracket.

 

The only other problem, it's been leaking for 15 years ... so I add water every month or so.

Is your system recirculated hot water or steam? 

Have to love those Honeywell part number cross reference charts.  

 

This is a 780,000 BTU 15 P.S.I. steam boiler system with auto water make-up. 

 

This system had one of those Culligan type water softeners that uses salt. 

You can probably imagine the mess that caused when salt got into the system. 

So far we've replaced the condensate return tank, roughly 50' of 1 1/2" and 2" condensate return piping and three out of five float & thermostatic steam traps and three out of six thermostatic steam valves. I'll be rebuilding the pneumatically controlled supply valves when the rebuild kits get here. Also built a new filter system using whole house water filter cannisters with softening/conditioning/descaling cartridges. Water quality readings are much improved. You wouldn't believe the crap coming out of the system now. Almost all of the thermostatic valves are corroded away. It takes some searching but we've been finding N.O.S. obsolete/discontinued F&T's for less $ than we can get the rebuild kits for.

Will be replacing the remaining two F&T steam traps Monday when the store is closed. They came today.

$75.00 for the 1" $95.00 for the 1 1/4" $35.00 shipping from east coast.

Mepco last listed the rebuild kits for the old Dunham Bush F&T traps at $329.00 each. (If you can find them obsolete/discontinued) 

Been replacing them with Sterling/Sterlco F&T's that can be upgraded with the better Barnes & Jones thermostatic valves. (Found six of those for $10.00 each list price $129.00) The Sterling/Sterlco F&T's are basically the same trap as the B&J's with a different cover and the cheaper bellows type thermostatic valves. Other than the cover/thermostatic valves they appear to be identical to the B&J units. Wouldn't surprise me if B&J didn't build them for Sterling/Sterlco. As to the thermostatic steam valves we're going with the top of the line B&J ST series that have built in strainers. Getting those for 1/4-1/3 of list price depending upon if 1/2" or 3/4".

Edited February 18, 20224 yr by Larry Buskirk

2 hours ago, Larry Buskirk said:

780,000 BTU 15 P.S.I. steam boiler system

Geez! I’ve worked on a few as large. Decades ago. Before  electronic controls. All basic 120v or 24VAC, easy to troubleshoot.  Typical residential steam boiler might be 175kbtu and run at half a pound pressure. I think …

 

Mine is water. 

10 hours ago, DuckSoup said:

 Other than watching a group of misfits hanging vinyl siding on the neighbor's house I have no plans for the weekend.

 

 

Hey now..I resemble that comment...

 

 

Still trying to straight out the tool storage....

tonight and tomorrow morn I was/will be hanging steel ductwork for the dust collector. then we're off to meet up with others from our campground for our winter get together. this essentially will be an evening spent in a hotel consisting of over consumption, excessive indulgence more off-color jokes than a group should know, and enough BS to fertilize the countryside for miles on end. 

13 hours ago, Larry Buskirk said:

 

This is a 780,000 BTU 15 P.S.I. steam boiler system with auto water make-up. 

 

 

 I'm glad I'm not paying the fuel bill for that. whew!

11 hours ago, Dovetail said:

Geez! I’ve worked on a few as large. Decades ago. Before  electronic controls. All basic 120v or 24VAC, easy to troubleshoot.  Typical residential steam boiler might be 175kbtu and run at half a pound pressure. I think …

 

Mine is water. 

One pipe system with a Bell & Gossett pump?

 

We had a few in the plant that were over 3,000,000 B.T.U. 125 P.S.I. systems.

A couple of them you could walk inside the fire brick lined boilers.

No such luck on the controls they're pneumatic, and no schematic. 

As a former co-worker stated, "Oh yeah you're working on that TOY boiler."

28 minutes ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

 I'm glad I'm not paying the fuel bill for that. whew!

Neighbor decided it was time to do something when the gas bill went over $1500.00 a month and he was getting very little heat.

He about fell over when he was quoted prices from heating companies to repair the system. Estimates were in the $12K-15K range.

We've now got the building maintaining 65° even with the still leaky traps. We're still getting some pressurized steam venting from the condensate return tank. Replacing the last two F&T's and steam valves should take care of that.