The Steamboating Forum

my exhaust has much condensate and it ends up drooling down the blast pipe and onto the tube sheet. Slowly, it is causing rust. The exhaust line is 3 inch pipe that goes up and over in a hoop so you can walk under. If I cut a 6 inch slice out of the line, and insert a 5 inch dia pipe with half baffle inside will this suffice. Gravity and a small drain will remove the water.

A off-center inlet would help separation by spinning the steam. Some other relatively easily fabricated separators can be seen here:
https://www.spiraxsarco.com/learn-about ... separators

- Bart

On the tug we put a T in the exhaust line right off the exhaust manifold, one side goes up the stack, the other to a thruhull fitting below the water line, each side has a valve so the amount can be regulated each way. It was to control water out the stack. I just leave them both open. There is very little condensate out of the stack now.

However, there shouldn't be any discernible rust any where if a steam lubricator is used with steam cylinder oil. The top of my boiler stays a bit oily, inside the stack has a thin build up of oil residue and ash.

If I was seeing rust on the top tubesheet, I would be considering rainwater down the stack as well.

A rule of thumb I've surmised fighting systems to ''keep up'', is that if any component carrying steam is not a heated surface, it's condensing. The remedy is insulation. You may consider insulating the steam line to the funnel to cut down on the amount of condensate.

Ron

Ron, what is the orientation of the tee connections? Two runs, one branch of the tee. Branch horizontal, or facing down, etc.

Fred,

What I call the ''bullhead'' of the ''T'' is horizontal and connected to the exhaust manifold. Then one ''horn'' up to the stack and the other horn down to the bilge thruhull. Each has a valve, but I don't think they are really needed, the resistance of ever present water at the thruhull assures most flow volume goes out the stack. The condensate runs down and out. I was showering people on the fantail without it. I assured them the oil would wash out, a few of them didn't seem convinced.

(Some old guy I worked with used the bullhead and horns to identify a tee fitting, it works)

Ron