water treatment

Hi all,
whats your regime with water treatment?
How much do you use and how often?
thanks
Kev

On a new engine I wouldn't use any treatment for the first three months as I would be regularly flushing out the water after each steaming to get rid of the cutting oils in the water. After three months the inside of the boiler should have a nice even coating of rust which is just what the treatment needs to stick to. I would put a small mug full in & that would do the rest of the season. If having a busy season I would chuck another mug full in half way through. I put it straight in the boiler not in the tender as I have seen things growing in the tender with boiler treatment (bacteria I think!).

Apart from when priming or blowing down the treatment should stay in the boiler as the steam used by the engine is pure water only. I checked my 4" agricultural after 7 years use and the inside of the boiler was still like new so it works for me. Other opinions may vary!

Thanks Steve,
must be working by the results you have.

thanks
Kev

I should add that I am very fussy what water I put in the engine, general rule being if I wouldn't drink it I won't put it in the engine!  So I don't blow down after a steam up as I never have any sediment in the boiler.  End of year winter lay up I have a bit of micro bore copper pipe connected to a hose and wash out the boiler thoroughly from the filler wash out plugs & then leave them out for it all to dry.  I also remove the safety valve, cylinder end cover & valve chest cover, dry them inside & brush steam oil over everything to stop rust & make it ready for the next season.  It's surprising how much water/condensation gets trapped in there & never dries out.

How much boiler treatment you use will very much depend up where you are. I am in a hard water area (Cornwall has incredibly soft water). I dose the boiler feed water quite regularly: every 2-3 days steaming. I also partially blowdown the boiler at similar intervals. The function of boiler treatment is to protect against rust and keep dissolved solids in solution. Blowing down energises the water around the fondation ring where sludge can easily accumulate.  After our 80 mile run I had quite a deposit to blast out around the offside rear drain with the pressure washer.   I wash out the boiler at least two or three times a season.

I use the Multi Treat 502 from Heritage Steam. The dose looks like builder's tea to start with, but rapidly dilutes to Earl Gray.

Tim

Thanks Tim,
interesting reading
thankyou for posting
Kev

I forgot that, good point Tim, I'm so used to the soft water we have down here I overlooked the horrible hard stuff in most of the rest of the country!!