Posted by jtown on January 26, 2000 at 05:48:28:
In Reply to: Blow Down Routine posted by Joe Powell on January 26, 2000 at 05:30:16:
Blowing down a boiler is to drain a half gallon or so of water out of the bottom of the boiler, and anywhere else you have fittings for it such as mechanical type low water cut-off, return piping. It is to remove solids that settle to the bottom. With the new system, blow it down once every couple of days, let the water cool and settle and pour most of it down a drain and then check the bucket for solids and through them outside. Stretch out the interval when you aren't getting much. Skimming is getting the floating salts, oils etc. Some boilers have a pipe nipple and cap just above the waterline to do this. You run the boiler and raise the water level to the skimming fitting and let water drain out. It can take a while. If there is no fitting location then the safety or guage glass can be removed and a couple of nipples and elbow used. If your water line is dancing up and down it is called surging from such floaters and it should be skimmed. It will make the steam drier and will have less noise.