Hot well size

A special section just for steam engines and boilers, as without these you may as well fit a sail.
User avatar
Lopez Mike
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead
Posts: 1903
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2011 6:41 am
Boat Name: S.L. Spiffy
Location: Lopez Island, Washington State, USA

Re: Hot well size

Post by Lopez Mike » Mon Jun 26, 2017 8:04 pm

You puffer guys have fun. Of course your stomachs at a pH of around 2 or something and the microbes are just food unless they think you are food.

I guess if you blow down religiously and try to add some stuff like T.S.P. to keep the boiler somewhere near alkaline then you will only need a new boiler ever few years (grin).

Didn't one of those rivers back east catch fire some years ago? There's a whole new idea. Feed water as fuel.
If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.
Dalai Lama
User avatar
cyberbadger
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead
Posts: 1123
Joined: Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:16 pm
Boat Name: SL Nyitra
Location: Northeast Ohio, USA

Re: Hot well size

Post by cyberbadger » Mon Jun 26, 2017 8:40 pm

Lopez Mike wrote:Didn't one of those rivers back east catch fire some years ago? There's a whole new idea. Feed water as fuel.
Yes, burning river. The cuyahoga. It's close by. Doing much better nowdays.

It would have been perfect for a naptha launch. :lol:

-CB
User avatar
fredrosse
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead
Posts: 1906
Joined: Fri Nov 20, 2009 5:34 am
Boat Name: Margaret S.
Location: Phila PA USA
Contact:

Re: Hot well size

Post by fredrosse » Tue Jun 27, 2017 2:24 am

"If I can drink it, I call it good enough for my boiler to drink. "

I don't understand the logic here? For example, you can drink pure sea water, it won't quench your thirst, but no harm to the human body, yet that is about the worst thing you can use as feedwater into a boiler.
User avatar
Lopez Mike
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead
Posts: 1903
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2011 6:41 am
Boat Name: S.L. Spiffy
Location: Lopez Island, Washington State, USA

Re: Hot well size

Post by Lopez Mike » Tue Jun 27, 2017 3:40 am

In the Glencannon stories he carefully avoided drinking plain water on the basis that it would rust his inner workings. Duggans Dew of Kirkintilloch taken straight!
If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.
Dalai Lama
User avatar
cyberbadger
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead
Posts: 1123
Joined: Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:16 pm
Boat Name: SL Nyitra
Location: Northeast Ohio, USA

Re: Hot well size

Post by cyberbadger » Tue Jun 27, 2017 4:00 am

fredrosse wrote:"If I can drink it, I call it good enough for my boiler to drink. "
I don't understand the logic here? For example, you can drink pure sea water, it won't quench your thirst, but no harm to the human body, yet that is about the worst thing you can use as feedwater into a boiler.
Well there was a emoticon wink there - I was just inserting my own view of it. I readily admit to my insanity, if that's the question.

Maybe I meant 'would' instead of 'can' .

Until a recent (last 10 years) EPA thing the Point Chautauqua Water company water source was a 100 feet section of pipe out into the lake.
I'd drink Chipewa or Chautauqua water.

But It's a mute point. I have two mesh strainers for particles, and Teryln LSB treatment takes care of the water conditioning. And no, my launch is never going into an sort of a salty water. That's a limitation for sure. Nyitra I is a fresh water fish.

I am way off topic - I'll give you that.

-CB
PhilMart
Just Starting Out
Just Starting Out
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2015 5:52 pm
Boat Name: Adamant
Location: Midlands UK

Re: Hot well size

Post by PhilMart » Tue Jan 16, 2018 6:24 pm

DetroiTug wrote:""does anyone have a half way elegant way to insulate a 3/8" copper pipe?""

Clothes line. It takes a while to install, but it works. Inexpensive too.

Once you install the economizer, you'll see a marked improvement in plant performance. The hotwell temp will be irrelevant. Due to your automatic water tending, the boiler is seeing little and often on the feedwater, the economizer works really well like that.

-Ron
For small pipes I use felt sheets which I get on ebay as a modelling material. Wrap a couple of layers round the pipe and "borrow" some cotton thread to hold it in position. Then use some pre plastered bandage (again from ebay as before) and now the messy bit: using wet hands smooth the bandage over the felt, when dry paint with emulsion paint, you may need 3 or 4 coats - colour to choice! This is good as it will follow the pipe bends easily. From memory I think the felt comes in 2 inch wide strips. Hope this helps. I have used it on 1/2" copper pipes.
wsmcycle
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead
Posts: 218
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2011 5:43 pm
Boat Name: FEARLESS,l'il steamy
Location: Fort Smith Arkansas USA

Re: Hot well size

Post by wsmcycle » Thu Jan 25, 2018 7:46 pm

Floating plastic balls would insulate the water. BUT, if the surface of the balls is wet because of sloshing around, you have multiplied greatly the surface area of the fluid and thus the oxygenation rate of the water.
LIGHT THE FIRE!!
Post Reply