[Steam-engine] Hard water & soft plug

[Harold Kuret]

I use rain water in my engine. If you are planning to leave the water in you
may want to up the Ph. Here in Ontario the rain water comes in around 6.5. I
use swimming pool "ph up" to bring it up in the 7.5 to 8 range. I then
continue on with my water treatment program.

Harold Kuret
Lynden, Ont. Canada

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andy glines" <pioneersop96 at yahoo.com>
To: "Steam-engine mailing list" <steam-engine at lists.stationary-engine.com>
Sent: Monday, October 31, 2005 9:21 AM
Subject: Re: [Steam-engine] Hard water & soft plug


>
>
> --- Richard Strobel <Richard_Strobel7 at msn.com> wrote:
>
> >   Howdy all;
> > Well the boiler inspector should be out sometime
> > this week and am ready for
> > him.  Can't wait!!!  The fusible plug came out
> > easily and with a little
> > blasting it cleaned up nicely.  Looks like 1" npt.
> > Not allowed to reuse
> > this, right?..if so why is that and do they need to
> > be changed at an
> > interval?
> >
> >   Out here in the sticks, we have pretty hard water.
> > What is the accepted
> > method for treating this water to reduce mineral
> > deposits, scale and such?
> >
> > Thanks in anticipation!!
> >
> > RickinMt.
> > _______________________________________________
> > Steam-engine mailing list
> >
> http://www.stationary-engine.com/mailman/listinfo/steam-engine
> >
> The bronze plug should be filled with pure Tin which
> has a melting point of around 450 degrees F.  The
> problem with old plugs is that the Tin oxidizes as a
> result of being exposed to the extreme heat of the
> fire.  What you end up with is a plug filled with Tin
> oxide instead of Tin.  The melting point of Tin Oxide
> is well in excess of 1000 degrees F meaning it won't
> work.  There is no way to prevent the oxidization of
> the Tin so we change the plug regularly.  For most of
> us hobby guys every other year is a good schedule.
> Frequency will depend on how much you fire your
> boiler.  We have known about this problem for a very
> long time.  The Steam Boat Inspection Service (later
> Coast Gaurd) requiring that soft plugs be renewed in
> steam ship boilers every 6 months around the time of
> WWI.  Bruce Babcock wrote an excellent article in
> Steam Traction on this subject a couple of years ago.
> Maybe someone here can help us find it.
> You have already gotten some suggestions on your
> water.  Rain water is a good idea.  Pond water can
> work good as well.  You don't want water from spring
> fed pond because the spring is the same as your well
> water.  Look at the runnoff into the pond.  I would
> think you want one in a grassy field.
>
> Andy Glines
> Evansville, IN
>
>
>
>
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