filling a hot boiler

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aopagary
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filling a hot boiler

Post by aopagary »

i had to blow down shortly after firing up the other day due to a leaking blowdown valve. i capped the valve, but now i had an empty very hot boiler. i was getting different opinions on how to proceed, but i chose the safe alternative by calling it a day. about 2 hours later the boiler jacket was still too hot to touch. did i make the right call?
ChooChooChris
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Re: filling a hot boiler

Post by ChooChooChris »

Did you make the right choice. Yes. Could you have very slowly refilled it and been ok? most likely yes. Is it worth the risk? Idk it is your money.
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cbrew
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Re: filling a hot boiler

Post by cbrew »

two hours it was still too hot??
normally with my boilers. an hour or two, they are normally cool enough to refill. if i can rest the back of my hand against the back head, I will fill her up. but that is just me.
that said, I also wait until the boiler is ~40 to 45 psi before blowing down, no if ands or buts.
If it is not live steam. its not worth it.
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aopagary
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Re: filling a hot boiler

Post by aopagary »

i might add... the boiler is coal fired. with oil or propane i imagine it would have cooled faster. i turned off the blower immediately but it probably took a good 30 minutes or so before the embers died out completely. much different than when i come off the track, i was firing up so the firebox was packed with coal. i add water through the pop valve openings and the first thing the water hits is the firebox crown sheet.
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Re: filling a hot boiler

Post by Bob D. »

So you blew down with a ripping fire going? Hopefully you didn't damage the boiler….. You have to dump the fire first. It will also snuff out quickly covering the stack. I really don't understand what you mean by adding water thru the pop valves. If that is the only way to get water into your boiler you have bigger problems. When you were faced with the blowdown leak you should have dumped the fire and kept the hand pump going until the fire was out.
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aopagary
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Re: filling a hot boiler

Post by aopagary »

of course not... it was about 15-20 minutes before the pressure lowered to 40 psi (it was about 60 psi when the leak became severe), at this point there were still glowing coals, but it was far from a "ripping fire".
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LVRR2095
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Re: filling a hot boiler

Post by LVRR2095 »

aopagary wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:52 am of course not... it was about 15-20 minutes before the pressure lowered to 40 psi (it was about 60 psi when the leak became severe), at this point there were still glowing coals, but it was far from a "ripping fire".
The FIRST thing you should have done is to dump the fire entirely.
pat1027
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Re: filling a hot boiler

Post by pat1027 »

At the point it is too hot to touch the temperature is unknown so probably the right decision not to refill it. It seems after two hours it ought to have cooled enough to refill.

At the end of the day ready to shutdown if I'm carrying more fire than I intended I'll block the stack with a small scrap of wood or a rag to stop the natural draft through the boiler. The fire will go out fairly quickly. With an occasional stir the glowing coals go dark.
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LVRR2095
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Re: filling a hot boiler

Post by LVRR2095 »

pat1027 wrote: At the end of the day ready to shutdown if I'm carrying more fire than I intended I'll block the stack with a small scrap of wood or a rag to stop the natural draft through the boiler. The fire will go out fairly quickly. With an occasional stir the glowing coals go dark.
If you cap the stack with a rag or block..and then put on the blower. The steam will travel back to the firebox and instantly extinguish the fire.
Last edited by rmac on Tue Nov 29, 2022 10:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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aopagary
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Re: filling a hot boiler

Post by aopagary »

another note... i have no way of dropping the fire. i actually carry a emergency tire inflation gizmo that uses a CO2 cylinder, but like i said, i had a few minutes to let the fire die. the amount of glowing coal was simply a bit more than an end-of-the-day fire. i poked around a bit and some bits fell through the grate, but it more of a controlled situation than an operating emergency.
Last edited by aopagary on Tue Nov 29, 2022 10:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
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LVRR2095
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Re: filling a hot boiler

Post by LVRR2095 »

aopagary wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 10:46 am another note... i have no way of dropping the fire.
How do you clean ashes out from under the grates? And if you have a shovel…you have a way to drop the fire. Just dig it out.
But you really need a way to drop your fire. If the grates are not permanently attached, use your hook to grab the grates and take them out through the fire door.
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Bill Shields
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Re: filling a hot boiler

Post by Bill Shields »

Amen on a way to drop the fire. I have known clubs where it is (or was) a requirement to show that you have a way to drop the fire in an emergency.

I seem to remember going through this with Jim Stuart's Tich back in the late 1970s.

Since there was no way to drop the pan or fire because of the design, the conclusion was to pick the loco up with the fire door open and shake the fire out (giggle)...or carry a squeeze bottle of water and spray it into the fire door.

All the other suggestions are perfectly valid, but at the end of the day...

Suggest you be careful about blowing COLD EXPANDING CO2 into the hot firebox.

Think about it.... :shock:
Last edited by Bill Shields on Tue Nov 29, 2022 11:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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