Boiler Inspector Bucks/Northants.

Hi all,

Anyone on here from Buckinghamshire/Northamptonshire who could point me in the direction of a good boiler inspector for my 4" Burrell?

I bought the engine second hand 14 months ago with a full professional ticket, and it's been inspected by the same guy for the last 3 years. He is in Evesham I believe so may not cover this far over. I have the full boiler history for it going back 10 years, and the paperwork says hydraulic is good until 2020. Not rallied it yet as I stripped it down over the last year and gave her some TLC, and it's now looking like new again. Hoping to get out and about with her next year so may leave the inspection until early 2018 now, but a heads up on the inspector front would be good.

Any one else on here from this area with a STW Burrell?

Another question if I may. Hydraulic tests on the STW engine, how do you folks blank the boiler off? I had a 4 1/2" Burrell I part built 10 years ago and I used to remove the regulator valve and the port was threaded for a plug which made it straight forward and kept the water pressure in the boiler and block, but I have yet to remove the safety valves from this engine so not sure if it has a similar thing. I did get a blanking plate for the safety valve chest when I bought the engine, but using this you would be pressurising/filling with water the whole block, cylinder, valve chest and all would you not? and a further blank would be needed for the exhaust blast pipe which I do not have. You would also be relying on the cylinder drain cocks holding back the hydraulic pressure too in this case, not to mention the piston glands and valve rod gland etc.

I'm guessing if I went down a club route for the inspection it would need a hydraulic next year as part of the inspection under the club rules? hence the question about the boiler blanking methods.

Any advice on this would be great.

Cheers,

Pete.

Sorry can't contribute on inspectors in your area, but a few pointers on the Hydraulic testing...........
The blanking plate that you have is all that you need. It is fitted in place of the safety valves.
The boiler is filled to the brim right up to this plate. In the middle of the plate is a threaded hole which can be used to apply the required hydraulic pressure.
With the regulator closed very little water/pressure will find its way into the valve chest / cylinder / drains / blast pipe.
If a significant amount of water gets through the regulator then the regulator is clearly not functioning correctly and I'm sure this would seriously concern the inspector.
Hope that helps.
Chris

The inspector would be more concerned with the integrity of the boiler and anything subject to full boiler pressure, a passing regulator is more of an inconvenience. Try placing a piece of thin rubber sheet under the regulator valve - such a piece of bicycle inner tube or thin sheet gasket to get an initial seal, as you raise the pressure for the hydraulic test the weight on the valve compresses the material under it and increases the effectiveness of the joint. I used this method on a full size Aveling roller, there is no requirement to pressurise the valve chest, cylinders and blank off the exhaust pipe.
If the boiler feed check valves have shut off valves that work then use them, otherwise take the check valves off and blank off the flanges / threaded holes. The more fittings you have under hydraulic test the greater the potential for small leaks which require steady pumping to maintain the test pressure, the ideal scenario is to have all outlets blanked then pump up the boiler and see if the pressure falls or remains constant. If you're insured through Walker Midgley they have a list of approved boiler inspectors, or you could try the NTET, or good old Google.

Thanks for the replies and the tips.

The plate method makes sense now, I was comparing what I used to do on the old Burrell ie regulator removed! and the tip for using rubber sheet is a good idea. I 've got an old pushbike inner tube lying around in the shed somewhere which may come in handy.

Also I'm a member of the NTET but overlooked contacting them directly for a list of approved inspectors!, I'll give that a shot. Sometimes the obvious stares you in the face and you still cant see it!

Thanks for the advice fellas, it's appreciated.