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Protective Actions

What can be done to protect your boiler and save money?

1. Use proper layup methods, either fully wet or fully dry — no "partly" or shortcut methods. Open every hand hole every time. Gaskets and elbow grease are cheaper than boiler repairs. By all means, store your boiler inside, out of the weather. You don't need all the facilities of a top-notch RR Engine Terminal, but a good roof and sides will do wonders. And yes, cover the stack!

2. Clean out as much sediment and scale as possible. Use a high-pressure washer, if necessary. If you are a regular user of Terlyn LSB, this will be an easy rinse out, instead of a major blasting operation the old hard way.

3. Dry the boiler out. Pitting corrosion can start within a week after cool down. Don't let your boiler stand cold and wet. Don't be shy about using a Wet Vac. Dry out all the crevices and corners. The spots you miss are where dampness and oxygen will be drilling into your boiler. Use an old sock or rag to wick out any low spots. Use screening to keep wildlife out.

4. When cleaning your boiler, brush and swab the flues with light oil. Clean out all the ashes and soot. Another name for ashes and soot might be "Boiler Metal Eating Mixture of Acids." Get the picture?

5. Do not put any oil in the water side of your boiler. Not only does it cause foaming water, it can cause hot spots of the boiler metal due to improper heat transfer. The water will not be in good contact with the metal where it is coated. A light coating of graphite is OK. Maintaining proper water chemistry is better. It helps both with steaming and protection during layup.

6. More on water: an alkaline pH of 10 is ideal to protect steel. The treatment chemical needs to be chemically buffered to this pH. Simply adding a caustic like lye or tri-sodium phosphate can cause permanent damage by cracking the metal in joints and crevices. All BoilerSaver boiler maintenance programs have safeguards against over-treatment and unwanted surprises.

7. It is possible to have proper wet layup, either using a nitrogen blanket or RustStop 85™. Tourist railroads, park trains, and others needing 7- to 30-day layup can benefit from these.