The Steamboating Forum

Question for the group:

I have always taken it as given wisdom that the the oiler should be before the throttle valve. This brings up a question. With the oiler under pressure even when the engine is stopped, I have felt the need to turn off the oiler lest a big gob of oil accumulate in the line.

Is there a reason not to have the oiler just after the throttle? That way it would only be fed condensed steam when the engine was running. One less thing to fiddle with when stopping and starting.

Thoughts?

Mike

I think the rate of oiling might change with the throttle position, I don't know if that is good or bad though.

Hmm. Yes, it would change. But that seems like it would be a good thing.

Another thing I didn't mention is that the oilers I've dealt with in the past had two ways of getting steam to the oiler. One is to get the steam from the same place as where the oil drips into the steam line. The other piping arrangement is to tap into the steam line a bit up steam from the oiler (a couple of feet maybe?) and feed that line to the top of the oiler.

If I tap into the steam line after the throttle there is no way to have a separate steam line to the oiler. The throttle is quite close to the engine.

I have a horrible suspicion that there is some obvious reason to have the oiler before the throttle and that I'm not seeing it.

Mike

On the displacement oilers I have, they are ALL after the throttle. Having said that, they all also happen to be miniatures, but I wouldn't have thought of putting one anywhere else. Is there some reason to do so???

Hi Mike,

I have the Hydrostatic lubricator before the throttle - and after the main steam stop right at the boiler, when the engine is stopped, the main steam stop in practice should be closed as well. It's supposed to be, but sometimes I forget and I haven't noticed any issue with excessive oil usage when I do.

Of course, a shot of oil on start up is not the worst thing to have happen.

On the practice of mounting it before the throttle that was probably to lubricate the throttle as well as it moves frequently. But with today's packing materials etc, it probably doesn't matter.

-Ron

Lopez Mike wrote:Question for the group:

I have always taken it as given wisdom that the the oiler should be before the throttle valve. This brings up a question. With the oiler under pressure even when the engine is stopped, I have felt the need to turn off the oiler lest a big gob of oil accumulate in the line.

Is there a reason not to have the oiler just after the throttle? That way it would only be fed condensed steam when the engine was running. One less thing to fiddle with when stopping and starting.

Thoughts?

Mike

'Course it's been done all the ways mentioned. I would favor the between throttle and engine:
1. The flow of oil would be proportional (even figuring the "time delay" for condensing) to the engine speed;
2. The "quantity flow" would simply be a "set it and forget it";
Best of all is to run using no oil!

I'd love to run with no oil. I've trying to since I got this tub. I've got a persistent ring squeak that just won't go away. Not wire drawing at part throttle either. The engine sat for ten years in storage. I'm suspicious that the rings might be binding in the piston. The bore looks fine. Black and shiny.

I've rigged up a temporary two valve oiler after the throttle and am headed out for a test run tomorrow.

Mike