Weil Mc-Lane Steam Boilers Rotting Out
Weil Mc-Lane Steam Boilers Rotting Out
(OP)
anyone else experience severe corrosion of Weil-McLane series 80 steam boilers. I just replaced my second boiler in seven (7) years; the first series 80 lasted less than three (3) heating seasons before several of the sections rotted out at the top. I was supposed to get some credit from WM for a new boiler so I installed another WM series 80 and that one also rotted out after four (4) heating seasons. WM refuses to warranty or credit for their defective boilers; saying instead that there MUST be a leak in the system and the only way that these boilers could rot out so quickly is due to a large amount of make-up going into the boiler. four years ago, after the second WM boiler was installed I inspected all of the return lines in the building and found NOT one leak and then turned off the auto feed to see if I was losing any water. After four days the water level hadn't changed (yes, this was during the heating season and we were pushing steam). WM's response is that since I didn't have a water meter on the feed line there is no way to prove that the boiler wan't using a lot of make-up and therefore they won't warranty. after two bad boilers I obviously decided to look elsewhere. I manage another building in the same neighborhood using the same hard water and the same size boiler, not WM, and that boiler has lasted over 20 years. I seem to recall that WM said they had some design issues 7-8 years ago and that they were supposedly resolved in the boiler I bought from them four years ago; obviously not. the sections of the boiler I just replaced literally fall apart when touched.





RE: Weil Mc-Lane Steam Boilers Rotting Out
when boiler metal is corroded, one needs to think about the cause of corrosion. often, the cause is poor water quality. however, since you seem convinced it is WM design and not a water quality issue. i would be certain by having a flow-meter measure the make-up water. excessive & poor make-up water quality may very well be a problem. is the boiler water and/or condensate monitored/treated? monitoring boiler/condensate quality would be beneficial to determining the source of corrosion.
have you considered problems associated with dis-similar metals? chances are that this would be a localized problem.
also, taking a sample of the boiler metal and having it analyzed may also be beneficial for you to determine cause of corrosion. take several samples and have 2-3 labs conduct the analysis.
Good Luck!
-pmover
RE: Weil Mc-Lane Steam Boilers Rotting Out
About your water quality? Have you checked for chorides? Has scale build up on the sections? Do you drain the mudd legs periodically to check for sludge build up?
RE: Weil Mc-Lane Steam Boilers Rotting Out
RE: Weil Mc-Lane Steam Boilers Rotting Out
RE: Weil Mc-Lane Steam Boilers Rotting Out