Water treatment for iron boiler?

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BillF
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Re: Water treatment for iron boiler?

Post by BillF »

Marty_Knox wrote: Fri Dec 14, 2018 4:50 pm If it really is iron, wouldn't be too worried about it. But as Pat said, these days the chances are it is actually steel.
As for water treatment, I wrote about water treatment in the Sept./Oct. Live Steam magazine.
Marshall Black's article on water treatment was reprinted in the same issue.
Marty,
Did you mean the Sept./Oct. 2018 issue? I didn't find anything there.
-BillF
Marty_Knox
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Re: Water treatment for iron boiler?

Post by Marty_Knox »

Sorry - it was in the Sept./Oct. 2000 Live Steam.
k4kfh
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Re: Water treatment for iron boiler?

Post by k4kfh »

Sorry to revive an old thread, but one more question. What is the best way to store this boiler? It's impossible to ensure the whole thing is perfectly dry for storage, so I thought maybe filling it completely with distilled water would be the best option (no air = no rust, or very little). It seems this is a form of the "wet layup" process, and I like this idea because distilled water is cheap and readily available.

I'd also considered buying a heat gun and running hot air through the boiler to try and dry it out, or even washing it out with alcohol or something.

Can someone shed some light on this?
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Bill Shields
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Re: Water treatment for iron boiler?

Post by Bill Shields »

long term layup ideas can include drying it out with warm air then pumping full of nitrogen....or argon or

distilled water is free from chemical contaminants, but not necessarily free of air.
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
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Fred_V
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Re: Water treatment for iron boiler?

Post by Fred_V »

I have been removing everything from the steam dome to access the holes there and remove the washout plugs. it all takes about 7 minutes I made up a housing to hold a computer fan. That completely dries the boiler overnight. the fancy housing is just a test piece from the scrap box.
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Fred V
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NP317
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Re: Water treatment for iron boiler?

Post by NP317 »

I open the boiler and place a 100 Watt incandescent light bulb under the firebox.
Convection dries the boilers insides nicely, over several days.
~RN
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Fred_V
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Re: Water treatment for iron boiler?

Post by Fred_V »

The does dry it out but water sits there for a couple of days until it does dry out.
Fred V
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NP317
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Re: Water treatment for iron boiler?

Post by NP317 »

Fred_V wrote: Mon Dec 24, 2018 1:05 pm The does dry it out but water sits there for a couple of days until it does dry out.
I had previously blown the boiler out with compressed air.

Merry Christmas, all you Live Steamers!
~RN
Glenn Brooks
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Re: Water treatment for iron boiler?

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Also try to open up and dry all your piping, injector lines, and steam cylinders. I’ve found water pockets in all these places, sometimes years after last use.
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BClemens
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Re: Water treatment for iron boiler?

Post by BClemens »

Glenn Brooks wrote: Thu Dec 27, 2018 9:17 pm Also try to open up and dry all your piping, injector lines, and steam cylinders. I’ve found water pockets in all these places, sometimes years after last use.
Well 'DANG' to that! The physics of mother nature are winning in all aspects - it's her desire to take everything to it's basic element. Even us.
Well; smile and be happy for a short time my good buddies.... Have grand times and keep your boiler (and powder) dry!
BC
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Fred_V
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Re: Water treatment for iron boiler?

Post by Fred_V »

NP317 wrote: Tue Dec 25, 2018 11:54 am
Fred_V wrote: Mon Dec 24, 2018 1:05 pm The does dry it out but water sits there for a couple of days until it does dry out.
I had previously blown the boiler out with compressed air.

Merry Christmas, all you Live Steamers!
~RN
I jack mine up off the wheels to run the engine on air, clear the cylinders and plumbing then blow down the boiler. Here is a photo of the cylinder of an engine that was put up 25+ years ago. Yes, that is water you see.
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Fred V
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NP317
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Re: Water treatment for iron boiler?

Post by NP317 »

Ouch! That's look awful!!
That's why I also run the engine on compressed air before putting it away.
And lubrication is our Friend.
After 15 years of this method: So far so good.
~RN
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