The Steamboating Forum

Your experience may differ if you chose to go that route, but I had a 1/2" United spring check valve at the boiler and that is the one that failed. Repeatedly cleaned it and it really wasn't even fouled, Teflon seat in good shape etc, it just would not seat reliably. Replaced it with a swing check valve mounted horizontally and have not had any issues so far.

I ran into a guy at a meet with a boat he had just bought and was having the same problem. I looked over and it was the exact same model of valve that I replaced. It was one of those "well there's your problem" instances.

-Ron

I also have had better service with ordinary swing check valves. They are much less prone to "hang up" than the lift check types. Spring loaded ball check valves also work well, but are more expensive, and not really needed for 100 - 150 PSI service.

I think I've had every sort of check valve misbehave at one point or another.... fine screen filters are really important esp. if you're near pine needles. Pine needles get everywhere; they happily go through even small diameter copper tubing and love to prevent checks from sealing....

For higher speed service in home build pumps, I find lift checks with a limit screw to be the most reliable. I've used spring loaded ball checks, but some have gotten noisy.

I use a angle lift check w/ teflon seat for boiler service and have had no issues for 17 years... but I keep the pine needles out.

- Bart

Bart, I was not aware that pine needles had such devious emotional tendencies.

Are they related in any way to a Mr. Murphy, who seems to lurk about for any opportunity to foul things up in most peculiar ways, which are not anticipated by we steam boaters. I once had a diessel engine almost destroyed, and flooded a building with diessel oil because I had rightly installed a low crankcase oil level cutoff, but had not thought it necessary to installed high oil level cutoff!

fredrosse wrote: Are they related in any way to a Mr. Murphy, who seems to lurk about for any opportunity to foul things up in most peculiar ways, which are not anticipated by we steam boaters. I once had a diessel engine almost destroyed, and flooded a building with diessel oil because I had rightly installed a low crankcase oil level cutoff, but had not thought it necessary to installed high oil level cutoff!

Yup... Mr Murphy dumped some pine needles into the hotwell one windy day... they made their devious way into both the engine driven and manual feed pumps. After a frustrating weekend of repeated pump hang-ups and cleaning of check valves, I was able to disassemble the plumbing and get them all blown out. A nice fine strainer has protected the intake from the hotwell, through-hull and water tank ever since w/o incident.

- Bart

barts wrote:... For higher speed service in home build pumps, I find lift checks with a limit screw to be the most reliable. I've used spring loaded ball checks, but some have gotten noisy.

I use a angle lift check w/ teflon seat for boiler service and have had no issues for 17 years... but I keep the pine needles out.

- Bart

I enthusiastically second this. I've used angle lift check valves (with a limit screw where needed - like feed pumps) for over twenty years and never had problems. 'Course I also have a strainer at my hotwell and makeup water tank.

Bart gave me his old Hypro feedwater pump to rebuild and use. It worked fine once I got that stinking pine needle out of there.

Mike