Water pump clack

Hi Kev,

Just to let you know, I took the clack valve off to re-seat the ball with a good whack. Tried to blow down it to see if it would seal and sometimes it would and sometimes not ? no marks on the ball so I wonder how "spherical" the ball is ?

Ran again at the weekend and sure enough the clack was letting by and through frustration did something I think most people will say never do - undo the union on the pressure side.

With the engine ticking over and pumping water, I very slowly undid the union on the pipe until steam began to escape and water was pumping out and nipped it back up. After this, it was fine but I will wait to see what happends this weekend to see if it's fully cured.

Still couldn't get the oil pump to pump enough oil. Took the delivery pipe off the non return valve on the block and no steam was coming back through so that's all ok.

I took the pump apart after shutting down - steam was coming off the top of the oil! I think there isn't enough pressure in the pump to overcome steam pressure. Steve says you shouldn't be able to hold back the oil with your finger but I could with mine.

After stripping it down, re-reading the instructions, there should be1-1.5mm of tension holding the nipped off the valve body and mine wasn't now doing this, so I stretched the spring to give this measurement and now cannot hold the oil back with my thumb, so again hopefully this weekend I wil prove his (or not!).


The only other issue I now have is the steam valve to the inejector will not close without the use of a spanner to tighten it one flat. Steve is sending out a mod for me to try and again I hope to have this to test out at the weekend.

If this all goes well I will be set for my run out to Preston (Kent, not Lancashire!) for the open day on New Years Day - it's about 3miles there.

I'll keep you posted

cheers

Rick

Hi Rick

I am on my second globe valve for the injector and waiting for another replacement. The seat if you look will possibly have a nick at about 4oclock. If I remember right. Both mine have it in the same place.

I also found the clack non return need a second seeing to. May have to look at my steam injector side as it is not picking up too well and it could be due to back pressure caused by a passing non return.

Crystal is feeling somewhat lonely. But she is not getting out to play in -5. Been. Below zero for the last 4 days now.

I had no end of trouble trying to get my clacks to work - tried everything. Remachined, new balls even a plunger with O ring seal. Some good days some bad. It took me several years to find the causes - a dirty boiler. I though my boiler was clean, rinsed it out with the hose regularly, changed the water regularity during the first year, blew down etc. It was only when I got a pressure washer and made a lance that I was able to get all the crap out of the boiler.

Remove the plug in the front tube plate (in smokebox) and insert lance clean sides and especially above the crown. I had to make my lance but some have found a small enough drain cleaning attachment. Mine is 3ft a stainless tube with two sideways jets. The reason I have two jets is that with one it flies sideways when the water is turned on making it uncontrollable. I find it essential to remove all 5 plugs, four around the foundation ring and the one it the front tub plate. Start by cleaning the foundation ring and fire box sides then turn attention to the front and do boiler sides and crown. Keep going until crystal clear water gushes out the foundation drain holes. Expect to get a lot of crap out the first time ( some metal and loads of sediment and even balls of sticky stuff).

Water treatment can mask the sediment in the boiler. Is the water tea colour because of treatment of because of sediment? If you manage to maintain tea colour without adding treatment it is most likely sediment. Used a water test kit for a while and discovered that I have to add new treatment every rally. By the end of the rally it would be mostly gone unless I topped it up. I now add a small quantity to my feed water.

Julia's right about the amount of cr*p in the boiler. I had my suspicions when standing the boiler on it's end & then moving it a little pile of swarf was left. This inspired me to put one of those telescopic magnets into the boiler & have a fish around. If you stand the boiler on it's end (smokebox end up) and then give it a tap with a piece of wood it will shake all the swarf down the bottom. With the magnet see what comes out! I half filled a builders mug with swarf from all the threaded holes that get put into the boiler.

I remember from when I completed the 4" SC Burrell it took a couple of seasons before the clacks & gauge glass stopped being a trap for all the swarf swilling around. Last year I looked inside the boiler with a camera and apart from a couple of pillars of rust it was pretty clean. The pillars I reckon are spirals of swarf that have rusted in a vertical position. There was a lot of them on the end of the magnet with the DCC!

Hi Steve,

A shame I didn't do this before I built the engine - be a bit tricky to hang it up now! Good advice though for anyone who has just got thier boilers i would have thought.

The clack problem now seems to be solved. I steamed again today, and after re-seating after the last time all worked well.
Did a few miles road run and the lubricator seems to be behaving itself. I think the problem was the spring tension in the pump and it going down albeit very slightly. I used the smaller spacer supplied with the kit, is this what others have used or the larger one ?

Still problems with the injector globe valve - Steve send a modified part which cures the steam leak no problem but the stem stuck open and and I could only close it with a pair of the dreaded mole grips in the end.

Stripped it down this evening and the thread on the shaft had jammed solid in the brass part, so I think it will be fine when all has loosened off a bit.

No other problems now, so I should be all set for the run out to Preston on New Years Day !

Rick

I think the reason the globe valves stick on when they are hot is the stainless steel shaft expands more than the brass body so the heat tightens up the seal. This makes it difficult to release when hot, the key is not to have then too tight when cold. The globe valves on my SC Burrell are non standard and have PTFE bottom seals and don't suffer from this as the PTFE has a little give so theyare easy to release & close. One has to be carefull thought that one doesn't wind them shut too tight as the PTFE could get 'munched up'

With it sticking open it could be that you opened it when hot (fully expanded) and then it cooled tightening it up. With all plumbing valves it pays when opening fully to close then a 1/4 turn so this can't happen.