Search found 78 matches

by Dale_F
Sat Jan 19, 2013 12:33 pm
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: SOLVED: Sight Glass water drops during running
Replies: 137
Views: 32640

Re: Sight Glass water drops during running

The steam when the saftey valves blow is wet - quite a bit of water. It is not pure dry steam. I also get quite a bit of water up the stack. So that makes me lean towards foam. But when I blow down the glass, the water comes back up quickly, which makes me lean away from foaming. Is there anything I...
by Dale_F
Sat Jan 19, 2013 11:47 am
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: SOLVED: Sight Glass water drops during running
Replies: 137
Views: 32640

Re: Sight Glass water drops during running

How can I tell if it is foaming inside the boiler? I see no indication of foam or small bubbles in the glass. I see no indication when I blow down, so from those scientific observations I would think I am not foaming.

Dale
by Dale_F
Sat Jan 19, 2013 9:39 am
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: SOLVED: Sight Glass water drops during running
Replies: 137
Views: 32640

Re: Sight Glass water drops during running

I have tried several different configurations over the last few days. I will try to detail them here. 1. I found the pipe from the top of the boiler to the top of the glass had a dip that would allow condensate to catch and maybe form a trap. I tried various new configurations to get rid of any low ...
by Dale_F
Wed Jan 16, 2013 6:20 pm
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: Flush mount tender drain?
Replies: 17
Views: 4494

Re: Flush mount tender drain?

It seems I end up getting a lot of my steam stuff from home brewing sites - one called homebrewstuff.com is my particular favorite. They offer a drain that I have used in the past and they work really well for me.

http://www.homebrewstuff.com/drain-asse ... 2-npt.html
by Dale_F
Wed Jan 16, 2013 6:11 pm
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: SOLVED: Sight Glass water drops during running
Replies: 137
Views: 32640

Re: Sight Glass water drops during running

The results are in - Chris was right. I put an angle on the "spud" as described above and fired it up. As CBrew suspected, it made no difference. The water still dropped when the throttle opened. Further CBrew AND Dan were both right in anticipating that the water would drop out of the gla...
by Dale_F
Wed Jan 16, 2013 9:57 am
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: SOLVED: Sight Glass water drops during running
Replies: 137
Views: 32640

Re: Sight Glass water drops during running

First - thanks to everyone who has been helping. Your responses have all been helpful and thoughtful. I never thought my problem would go to 3 pages of responses - a first for me. And, in all my years in this hobby, I never once thought I would ever have the opportunity to say .... I'll put an angle...
by Dale_F
Tue Jan 15, 2013 4:18 pm
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: SOLVED: Sight Glass water drops during running
Replies: 137
Views: 32640

Re: Sight Glass water drops during running

Test 1 complete - result is I am now cold and wet, and still bewildered. I filled the boiler and moved the engine forward and back and the water sloshed the expected amount up and down in the glass. I stopped and the water stabilized where expected. I put air in the boiler, blocked the engine up and...
by Dale_F
Tue Jan 15, 2013 3:29 pm
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: SOLVED: Sight Glass water drops during running
Replies: 137
Views: 32640

Re: Sight Glass water drops during running

Sight glass has o-ring seals. I will check them to see if they are overly compressed. I will check the "slosh" this afternoon. My plan for today is to fill boiler and pressurize with air, open throttle and observe glass. If the pressure drops, try putting the glass from the Atlantic on and...
by Dale_F
Mon Jan 14, 2013 8:40 pm
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: SOLVED: Sight Glass water drops during running
Replies: 137
Views: 32640

Re: Sight Glass water drops during running

From what I can gather, the old glass did not have the same problem, but it was a "reflex" type of glass and was really hard to read. It may have been happening, but was just harder to tell when running. I just don't understand why it drops out of the glass when I run, but as soon as I sto...
by Dale_F
Mon Jan 14, 2013 7:38 pm
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: SOLVED: Sight Glass water drops during running
Replies: 137
Views: 32640

Re: Sight Glass water drops during running

I pulled the lower fitting from the boiler and made some careful calculations. When the fitting screwed all the way into the boiler there is 1/2" clearance from the fitting to the firebox. There is lots of space. I used some bailing wire and stuffed it in the hole and directed it up and down an...
by Dale_F
Mon Jan 14, 2013 3:50 pm
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: SOLVED: Sight Glass water drops during running
Replies: 137
Views: 32640

Re: Sight Glass water drops during running

That makes perfect sense. I will pull the fitting later this afternoon and make measurements and adjustments. I know this will cause an uproar, but it is just too cold in the garage to go out and work now. Heck, it is down to 49 here in Northern California this afternoon! Thanks for all the advice. ...
by Dale_F
Mon Jan 14, 2013 3:31 pm
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: SOLVED: Sight Glass water drops during running
Replies: 137
Views: 32640

Re: Sight Glass water drops during running

The hole in the top of the boiler has lots of open space below. It is longer than the shaft of a screw driver that happened to be close by. The hole in the back of the boiler is less scientific because I did not remove the fitting in the boiler. I measuered by running a small wire in the hole feelin...