Sooted up boiler and other tips

[WHPES]

Just a reminder to folks that when you come across a sooted up boiler (usually where a conventional flue is blocked, a balanced flue gasket breaks down (ex the early Trianco square balanced flues) or a pump wears out), after you have de-sooted the boiler and fixed the problem, it will take several hours for the loose soot to burn off and give you a reliable CO reading on your analyser.

Use your smoke pump to get the smoke down, leave the boiler running and come back in a couple of hours to set up with the analyser.

 

[WHPES]

Stuck baffles - smear the edges with open gear grease (aerosol type is less messy), put a rag on top of the baffle and soak rag with spray from a DIY pipe freezing aerosol. You will need a large adjustable or mole wrench clamped up tight on the baffle edge to give you some leverage.

Have removed sulphur debris jamming baffles using swimming pool tile cleaner (make sure the combustion chamber is thoroughly washed down and dried out afterwards so you don't leave any in)

 

[Killy Bing]

I cant believe this hasnt been said! Always...always....always kill the power to the boiler or unplug the burner!

who knew a pair of snickers trousers could withstand a .60 es for a second.......
yeah kinda wondering why i continued on with my apprentiship after that!

 

[WHPES]

I cant believe this hasnt been said! Always...always....always kill the power to the boiler or unplug the burner!

who knew a pair of snickers trousers could withstand a .60 es for a second.......
yeah kinda wondering why i continued on with my apprentiship after that!

It hasn't been said as we kind of assume that anyone working on boilers is not sufficiently clueless or intoxicated as to need to be told something like this any more than they need to be told to bring a toolbox with them when they go to work on a boiler, or to put their underpants on when they get dressed. Anyone who actually needs to be told to kill the power shouldn't be let anywhere near a boiler, or for that matter be allowed to drive a vehicle to get to said boiler either.

 

[Dannypipe]

LOL - he didn't sugar coat that one!!

 

[RayPlumb]

Hi WHPES
Great list ..one question what is
55. Round profile drift for reshaping deformed pipe ends.
Thanks

 

[Gasmk1]

tills rolls are too long for testo i have tons of them i have to pull off about 10 yards of roll to get it to fit lol

 

[WHPES]

Drift is like a spike with a handle which you can push into the end of the pipe. You can remove any dings and make the pipe circular again to get fittings on.

Another cause for sooting up which I did not mention before as I originally considered it to be an easy one to spot but apparently not so, is for some of the early balanced flue boilers the rockwool stuffing can degrade and allow combustion gases back in. To fix you simply need to unclip the front retaining cover and re-stuff with rockwool (wear mask and gloves as its nasty stuff)

 

[Lou]

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