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TIL that purging a new boiler with the vent cracked half open isn't purging it at all
Helped a buddy fire up a new 200 HP firetube in Gary last weekend and he had the vent valve cracked maybe a quarter turn, swearing up and down it was enough to push the air out. We ran it that way for 40 minutes and the gauge just sat there shivering while the stack temp crept up slow. I finally opened it up full and you could hear the air dump out like a tire letting go for a good 20 seconds. His jaw dropped when the burner lit clean on the first try after that. How are you guys checking for a real purge when there's no sight glass on the vent line?
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jadeprice2d ago
I used to be the guy who thought a crack was good enough, figured the air would find its way out eventually. Then I watched a seasoned hand on an old Cleaver Brooks open the vent wide and just let it RIP, and the difference in how fast the gauge settled was night and day. Now I judge it by sound and time, not by how far the handle turns, if I don't hear that rush for a solid stretch I keep going. No sight glass means you're flying blind anyway, so I trust the noise and the gauge settling more than anything. Sounds like your buddy learned the same lesson the hard way, just glad the burner lit clean instead of going boom.
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