Has anyone done either:
A: Placed about 2-4 coils of feed water pipe inside the front of the smoke box, to preheat the water? If done, does the copper pipe hold up?
or
B: Used a closed steam line into the tender to heat the water before being sent to the boiler? (I would assume i one sits on the tender, you rear might get warm)
Thanks for any replies
Water pre-heat question.
Water pre-heat question.
Christopher P. Mahony
Los Angeles Live Steamers
1 inch scale member
Los Angeles Live Steamers
1 inch scale member
- makinsmoke
- Posts: 2260
- Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2003 12:56 pm
- Location: Texas Hill Country
Re: Water pre-heat question.
Do NOT heat your water in the tender.
One of the reasons injectors won't lift is if they get too hot. A leaking boiler check valve is the usual culprit.
A friend had a return line to the tender that somehow got hot. The water in the tender got hot and the injectors quit working.
Tested by running cold water from a hose onto one injector. Once we figured that out, a hand into the tender weather revealed the source of the problem.
One of the reasons injectors won't lift is if they get too hot. A leaking boiler check valve is the usual culprit.
A friend had a return line to the tender that somehow got hot. The water in the tender got hot and the injectors quit working.
Tested by running cold water from a hose onto one injector. Once we figured that out, a hand into the tender weather revealed the source of the problem.
- makinsmoke
- Posts: 2260
- Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2003 12:56 pm
- Location: Texas Hill Country
Re: Water pre-heat question.
The Gene Allen design has a coil or two of copper line from the axle pump, around the inside of the smokebox to preheat the water before pumping into the boiler.
Re: Water pre-heat question.
Then I will do the Gene Allen design. That seems safer, and easy to do.
Thanks
Thanks
Christopher P. Mahony
Los Angeles Live Steamers
1 inch scale member
Los Angeles Live Steamers
1 inch scale member
-
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- Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:15 am
- Location: Tennessee, USA
Re: Water pre-heat question.
make sure your lines are out of the way, and also make sure they are easy to clean. they will get a lot of crap sticking to them and need to be cleaned pretty often. Also, you need to use copper on these or you won't be doing any good. I like to use stainless steel for my tubing inside of the smoke box, but a stainless steel feedwater heater would transfer so little heat as to be useless.
- Bill Shields
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Re: Water pre-heat question.
preheaters of this coil type, and one that I just removed from a loco that looked like a 'bed stead' are a mess to keep clean and take a real beating.
once you have one that works, make a spare and stick it in your tool box....
once you have one that works, make a spare and stick it in your tool box....
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
Re: Water pre-heat question.
How about three large coils around the inside of the smoke box walls, right near the door?
Christopher P. Mahony
Los Angeles Live Steamers
1 inch scale member
Los Angeles Live Steamers
1 inch scale member
- Bill Shields
- Posts: 10464
- Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2007 4:57 am
- Location: 39.367, -75.765
- Contact:
Re: Water pre-heat question.
whatever you can fit and clean around is better than nothing.
how much better is to be determined.
Suggest you build it so that it can be removed easily...
how much better is to be determined.
Suggest you build it so that it can be removed easily...
Too many things going on to bother listing them.