How to make sure your injector will always work

This forum is dedicated to the Live Steam Hobbyist Community.

Moderators: cbrew, Harold_V

User avatar
AnthonyDuarte
Posts: 491
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:46 am
Location: Orange, CA
Contact:

How to make sure your injector will always work

Post by AnthonyDuarte »

From my observations over the years:

The single most important part of an injector installation is the section between the injector and the tender water valve. It has to be simple and absolutely air tight with the least amount of joints or fittings possible. If this section is not well done it will inevitably lead to problems.

Oddly this portion seems to get a little neglected on many miniature models. That's not meant as a putdown, and it's understandable. You put a lot of hard work into getting a nice looking delivery line from the injector to the boiler; blood sweat and sometimes tears go into figuring out how to get a steam line from your turret to the injector, and after spending more time and money on fittings and copper tubing than planned, there's not much energy left to think through the connection to the tender. There's a tendency for it to be a bit jerry-rigged just to get water from point A to point B, but it's the most critical part!

I'm thinking of some possible products to make connecting injectors to the water feed a little easier, but in the meantime, treat this part of the installation with the upmost care for the best possible operation of your injector!

A tight water line with an appropriately sized filter will give you endless hours of trouble free operation. And if you thoroughly blow the injector out with air at the end of the day, the washer won't get stuck, leaving very few reasons to ever have to take the injector apart.

Anthony

P.S. don't put your injectors on a cleaning schedule. Take them apart if they're not working, otherwise it's best to leave them alone :D
hoppercar
Posts: 616
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2018 4:09 pm

Re: How to make sure your injector will always work

Post by hoppercar »

What's the best way to blow air thru the injector, and dry the water out?.....the overflow pipe???
User avatar
AnthonyDuarte
Posts: 491
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:46 am
Location: Orange, CA
Contact:

Re: How to make sure your injector will always work

Post by AnthonyDuarte »

hoppercar wrote: Sun Apr 24, 2022 3:05 pm What's the best way to blow air thru the injector, and dry the water out?.....the overflow pipe???
The best way (if possible), is to blow air through the steam line with the water line disconnected. This will dry out the inside of the injector without risking sucking in more moister from the water line. I pressurize my boiler with air at the end of a meet to do this.
If that's not possible, blowing air through just the water line will get the bulk of the water out as well. Blowing through the overflow pipe won't do any good. Since it's a check valve, the air won't make its way into the injector.

The injector body can be full of water, and continue to collect water as the steam condenses at the end of the day. The nozzles then sit in a pool of water that leaves deposits as it slowly dries over months of sitting. If everything is dried out ahead of time, this won't happen.
User avatar
kcameron
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2011 4:23 pm
Location: Syracuse New York

Re: How to make sure your injector will always work

Post by kcameron »

What is your view of connection products? I'm meaning types of quick connectors or other couplings for folk that must detach the tender after running.
-ken cameron
Syracuse Model Railroad Club http://www.SyracuseModelRr.org/
CNY Modelers http://www.cnymod.com/
Finger Lakes Live Steamers http://www.fingerlakeslivesteamers.org/
Member JMRI Developer Team http://www.jmri.org/
mailto: kcameron@twcny.rr.com
In the Upstate New York US area of the world
User avatar
Bill Shields
Posts: 10459
Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2007 4:57 am
Location: 39.367, -75.765
Contact:

Re: How to make sure your injector will always work

Post by Bill Shields »

Wave a magic wand at it.. :mrgreen:
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
User avatar
Builder01
Posts: 726
Joined: Mon May 18, 2015 5:26 am
Location: Erie, PA

Re: How to make sure your injector will always work

Post by Builder01 »

All my connectors between my tender and injector are traditional style model engineer cone unions. I made them all myself, so, they are nothing special. They must be air tight, any air leaking into an injector water line will spoil the function of an injector. Cone unions are easily made airtight and there is no need to over tighten to make them so. I remove my injector at the end of the season and blow it dry and store it in the tool box until next season. A week or two stored wet is probably OK, but, not for months.
SailorHarry
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2019 7:36 pm
Location: Jacksonville, FL

Re: How to make sure your injector will always work

Post by SailorHarry »

Very good advice on blowing the injector dry with air thru the steam line. I will start doing this as it is much easier on me (and the injector) than taking it apart and cleaning it. Thanks again, Anthony.
User avatar
Benjamin Maggi
Posts: 1409
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2007 10:38 pm
Location: Albany, NY

Re: How to make sure your injector will always work

Post by Benjamin Maggi »

Builder01 wrote: Sun Apr 24, 2022 8:06 pm All my connectors between my tender and injector are traditional style model engineer cone unions.
That is a bit easier to do on a tank locomotive!
"One cannot learn to swim without getting his feet wet." - Benjamin Maggi
- Building: 7.25" gauge "Sweet Pea" named "Catherine"
hoppercar
Posts: 616
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2018 4:09 pm

Re: How to make sure your injector will always work

Post by hoppercar »

Thanks, Anthony......good information to know. I recently went thru all this, and replaced my tender valves, when I found the packing nuts were loose, and drawing in air.
User avatar
PRR5406
Posts: 873
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 7:12 pm
Location: Eastern Maine

Re: How to make sure your injector will always work

Post by PRR5406 »

I just inquired with Eccentric Engineer about the medium size injectors which were in the catalog. Presently, they are sold out and there may be a very limited run sometime in the future. I've made it clear that I want one. If you are thinking about the same, you might let the manufacturer know now.
"Always stopping my train, and risking my ankles, with American made, New Balance sneakers."
User avatar
Bill Shields
Posts: 10459
Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2007 4:57 am
Location: 39.367, -75.765
Contact:

Re: How to make sure your injector will always work

Post by Bill Shields »

be sure to call TicketMaster to get a reservation

the devil made me do it
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
ChooChooChris
Posts: 94
Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2022 2:01 pm

Re: How to make sure your injector will always work

Post by ChooChooChris »

How do you all feel about Lifting injectors instead of the gravity fed ones?
-Chris Srch---- Home track Tradewinds and Atlantic Railroad
Post Reply