Mark i believe the area that leaked is the area with the two stay's just below the upper door on the inside.It looks like it eroded from the inside of the water jacket out towards the burn chamber.Not any of the seam/welds.
Econoburn Pressure Vessel Failure
- Thread starter Greenrider
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The inner wall got thin and failed. The hole is about midway from the bottom of the loading door opening and the refractory floor. My boiler doesn't have the 2 stays welded in that wall for some reason.
gfirkus
Member
Did you have your water tested? I believe there was 1or 2 cases where the pressure tank on the Switzer boiler failed because the water doesn’t circulate at the bottom. Gary Switzer added a couple valves to flush the pressure tank every 3 years I believe, to exchange to stagnant water. I added chemical and still test every 2 years for piece of mind. Wood boiler solutions I think is where I sent. I’m not home to check for sure.
Switzer is worth a look at if you’re “new boiler shopping” . Fairly close to you. Has to be inside tho.
Switzer is worth a look at if you’re “new boiler shopping” . Fairly close to you. Has to be inside tho.
I haven't had the water tested since I don't believe the corrosion issue is due to water quality. I did add an anti-corrosion additive upon initial fill. My pressure tank and the rest of the boiler is in perfect condition. The corrosion is isolated to one small area where the water appears to boil, likely due to poor circulation in this area. I've added a steel plate in front of this area and spaced it out from the boiler wall and it seems to have stopped or at least reduced the boiling, since I can no longer hear the steam hissing inside. The creosote was always burned off this front wall, indicating it gets hotter than the ither walls. I'm considering Polar G series but I'll take a look at Switzer. Thanks.
Double checked mine last night and it has the 2 stays.
I wonder if that may have anything to do with the damage.
Maybe that wall moves with temperature differences compromising the wall.
Mine was manufactured in 12/08, so Econoburn definitely made some changes to later models. I'm sure any flexing must eventually weaken the steel but I think the water was actually boiling in this area on long hot burns. I think I've greatly reduced the problem by adding a removeable steel plate in front of this wall, with a 1/2 air gap in between. I used to hear a hissing sound after the fan shut down from a hot burn, but it has been greatly reduced after adding this plate. I had always assumed the hissing sound was moisture coming out of the wood, although my wood supply is well seasoned and dry after 2 years before it gets used. I've noticed many companies now have sacrificial plates or walls protecting the actual boiler walls from direct flame, Polar being one of them. Had I known of this potential issue I likely could have prevented.
@Greenrider January 12 2008 is when my 200 was born,it has the two stays in the area where yours doesn't.
Interesting. I wonder why they aren't on my boiler? I'm not sure how the build process could differ that much from one boiler to another that they could forget to put the stays in.
PassionForFire&Water
Minister of Fire
ASME certified boiler, correct?
Both boilers should be the same, if the same model, and manufactured the same time.
Manufacturer at least ows you an explaination.
Get your local state boiler inspector involved; there will be a very fast response from manufacturer
Both boilers should be the same, if the same model, and manufactured the same time.
Manufacturer at least ows you an explaination.
Get your local state boiler inspector involved; there will be a very fast response from manufacturer
I was just looking at your pictures again...
Does your unit have the air ducts inside on the door wall that come from the bottom of the top chamber to the top of the chamber for the fan air?
It's been a little over a year and figured I'd provide an update on my situation. The welded patch has held up fine and made it through the rest of last year and is still holding. Unfortunately, the rear wall of the upper chamber sprung a leak about a third of the way up from the floor. There is a large area where the wall is paper thin. This area seemed fine when I poked around last year and definitely wasn't as thin as it is now. I'm really not sure what is causing this issue. I have the boiler installed with the cold protection circuit per the manual, and I rarely see my return water temps get below 140 degrees, unless the boiler ran out of wood, which is rare since I'm generally able to load it three times a day. At this point I don't think it's worth fixing and I'm not sure how someone would be able to weld a patch into the rear wall. The good news is I picked up a used Econoburn 200 over the summer that was built in 2015, for about 1/10 the cost of a new unit. It appears to be in good shape. The original owner wasn't satisfied with the burn times and ended up replacing it with a larger outdoor style unit. I'm planning to swap the units this weekend and hopefully get at least 5 years out of this one. The electronics on the newer model are completely different, with stack temp sensor, so that will be a bit of a learning curve.
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Glad to hear the patch made it threw the bulk of the winter. Nice to find something used that has some life left in it. Pretty tough to make the new equipment pencil out. I open my Garn barn door cautiously ever time I go to load it hoping another weld hasn't failed and water is all over the floor.
Sorry to hear about your issues with the original unit
My return temps are usually around 119 each day when i start the fire from getting home.I have the return protection as in the manual.
I cleaned my flue tubes last weekend and tapped the walls inside the upper chamber as i remembered your issues. They all sounded solid.
it would be nice to find the cause of your issues
My return temps are usually around 119 each day when i start the fire from getting home.I have the return protection as in the manual.
I cleaned my flue tubes last weekend and tapped the walls inside the upper chamber as i remembered your issues. They all sounded solid.
it would be nice to find the cause of your issues
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