The Steamboating Forum

Ok all you wise and wonderful people here's the first of many enquiries.
as the title suggests I have a boiler made by Anthony Bever it has been in a building fire and was hot enough to shatter the shield glass on the sight gauge as you may be able to see in the picture. my intention is to dismantle it and clean de rust and paint/stove black the outside and generally give it a good once over.
is there anything I should be doing in order to finally get it tested and certified ? ( I do have the original test and inspection paperwork from 1993 )
many thanks in advance
Ivan

Tricky topic....

Are you in the UK? I know nothing of the legal/regulatory requirements there other than they are much more stringent than we have in the USA. Consult local experts as to inspection/testing required.

The pressure vessel portion of the boiler is very unlikely to have been adversely affected by the fire, whether copper or steel. The same insulation that keeps internal heat will have kept the external heat out . In addition, what looks like aluminum portions of the firebox door hinges, etc. seem to be fine, so temperatures were not extreme.

I believe these watertube boilers are have three steel drums welded together w/ bent copper tubes silver soldered into steel nipples welded into the drums, very much like the basic construction I used for Otter's boiler 25+ years ago. After disassembly and cleaning it will very likely pass a hydro test of the pressure vessel at 150% of the maximum working pressure. It does look to be well weathered so do look for external corrosion issues on steel parts.

I'd wear a respirator during disassembly if soft fiber insulation is used; the silica fiber insulation likely used is not friendly to the lungs.

You'll need to replace the safety valve (likely cheaper than having it rebuilt). The valves may be ok depending on the heat levels reached and the valve seat materials. Disassemble and inspect; check check valve springs in case they were annealed.

Good luck!

- Bart

Yes in the UK Bart
I'm pretty good with all the engineering stuff it's more the regulatory stuff I'm definitely not up with and am wondering about what I'm allowed to do and what I should avoid doing.
I've driven and looked after a steam roller many many years ago but never got involved with testing or anything like that.
thanks for your reply guess I'll give it a good soaking with penetrating oil before I start and see how it goes.

Join the steam boat association !
Jack

I'm with Steamboatjack, and liaise with your boiler inspector before you start.

I had a Anthony Beaver boiler in my first steam launch 'Silver Rose' They are welded steal water tube which steam very well however do rust particularly if the insulation material has been allowed to remain water logged during storage - check where the steam generating tubes meet the mud drums. Join the SBA and talk to them.

Regards
Nigel

Thanks for the response's
just to put the record straight I joined the SBA before I joined this group
the forum on the SBA site is virtually unused! that's why I'm asking on here!!

does anyone know of a boiler inspector around Somerset?

Thanks for your advice Nigel although it looks rusty that's mainly due to being in the fire aside from that it's been dry stored so I'm hopeful it wont be to bad once I get inside.

Have you tried calling these guys....

Ross Cox Plumbing & Heating LTD
01984 632724
https://www.rosscoxplumbingheating.com/commercial.html

Somerset Gas
01823 661144
https://www.somersetgas.co.uk/support

I am a US citizen and SBA member.

First test you can do after you clean the boiler is do a hydrostatic test and see if the boiler can hold pressure. Plug all the external connections to the boiler, remove safety valve and plug, connect a handpump with pressure gauge after you have filled the boiler completely with water, you want zero air. Slowly pump it up to whatever is recommended in your area. Typically this is something like 150% of the maximum allowable working pressure for your boiler. Pump it by hand to that pressure, and see if it can hold pressure for 30minutes without falling. Ideally you want everything in the boiler plugged with a pipe plug except for 2 pressure gauges and one valve to isolate the boiler from the handpump. If it is really sealing well I have seen my boiler be able to hold the pressure for 12hrs without a significant drop. The exact criteria of the time you test the boiler for and the pressure to test to should meet the rules and inspectors you will be subject to in your area.Two gauges (Perhaps one on the boiler and one connected to the handpump) should be used to confirm that you are actually are close to the pressure you think you are at.

This is one test of several before you are ready to use the boiler again. A hydrostatic test is a test you will have to do fairly often, at least once a year, so It's worth learning to do yourself. If it doesn't hold pressure, this test will usually at least indicate where a problem area is.

Don't use an electrical pump or a pressure washer to do your hydro. Do it by handpump so that you can slowly creep up on the exact pressure. Because you have removed the safety valve, it can be easy to overshoot the pressure if you use an electric pump. Some people let the water sit for 12 hours first to let the water temperature reach ambient conditions. A hydro test is generally a very safe test to conduct. If there is a leak it will be ambient to cold water that will leak and dribble. Your annual hydro test pass is a requisite to being able to light a fire in your boiler.

-CB

Whilst you are totally correct about the SBA forum being exceeding quiet, not so their boiler services. Contact them for who is nearest and most able to take your boiler on.