Glycol in Boiler

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

To be honest , although we have obviously put a lot of time and effort into evaluating this issue, to me the most important part as identified above is the fact that any impurity put into your boiler will coat the internal surfaces of the boiler and affect heat transfer.

 

This may initially manifest itself as requiring a bit more gas to get the same steam production but can eventually lead to hot spots and eventual failure of the boiler.

 

Having worked all my life with marine auxilliary boilers and only very recently been involved with the removal of fuel oil contamination from a steam system I can state without a shadow of doubt that the addition of any oil based chemical is likely to have a long term detrimental effect on the life of the boiler.  I would strongly recommend that you put nothing but clean pure water (I use tumble dryer condensate, not deionised!) in it unless the life of the boiler is not a major concern to you. 

[HS93Participant @hs9317166]

glycol is a solvent and so all the oil you have spent time trying to get to coat surfaces will be  washed of or diluted, all for a bit of white smoke, just sail in the cold.

 

Peter

[Dr John BoothParticipant @drjohnbooth43899]

It is worth mentioning that the composition of common tap water varies from area to area and contains differing amounts of additives and contaminates all of which can have a detrimental effect on any model boiler.

In my opinion the best source of water is steam condensate collected from boiling a kettle as this process removes many of the contaminates.

John

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

John

Richard has commented that he uses condensate from a tumble dryer which must be an easier way to collect the liquid than trying to gather it from a kettle.

As this has been such a contentious issue it might be advisable to clarify what, if anything are the differences between these two methods and might there be a difference in the composition of the condensate between a kettle and tumble dryer or is this not important.  

Paul

[Dr John BoothParticipant @drjohnbooth43899]

Paul

Given that the two processes involve different component parts i.e. the kettle uses water and the tumble dryer uses washed clothes there is a significant difference in the chemical composition of the resulting condensate.

However I am not an expert in model steam engines so I am unable to comment on the viability of one system over the other.

John

[Gerald Gardiner 1Participant @geraldgardiner1]

As the starter of this thread I feel that I should sum up my feelings on it.>>

I think I will NOT be adding it to my boiler as when running a public demonstrations I always have someone who wants to smell the steam.>>

I had posted originally as I wondered about ill effects with using Glycol. I have not experimented with it and probably won’t. As Paul notes in his post >>

“Toxicology Harmful if swallowed. May be harmful if inhaled or in contact with the skin. Skin and respiratory irritant. Severe eye irritant. Typical OEL 10 – 25 ppm. Reproductive hazard. “>>

If I operated my models privately and did not exhibit them at shows or venues where the Public was involved I might try using Glycol. Having a wife and two children who are asthmatic I know how little irritant it can take to trigger an attack. With this in mind and the frequent occurrence of young children (and some not so young) wanting to smell the steam, I feel the trace of steam oil is the only thing other than water vapour that I can expose them to.>>

Regards,>>

Gerald.>>

 

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

I have found that a drop of red diesel make some lovely white smoke and helps lubricate the engine as well.

 

Paul

 

‘picking up the apples’

 

 

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