steam regulations

Hi guys just a question if their are any boiler inspectors out their.

my black 5 failed today as i have two gage glass blow downs and a drain plug to drain my boiler steam the bottom.

i was refused a steam test as i have a screw in drain plug and not a tap to blow down the boiler.

we had been having problems with priming so cleaned new boiler with caustic solder it now steams really well safety valves blowing of at just before 90 PSI all looked good but said could not pass without a proper blow down plug so could not get steam cert.

I put on Facebook on 5" gage Loco and was told you don't have to have a blow down valve if you have a drain plug and two glass blow down plugs.

Who is right the boiler inspector at the club or are the guys saying not in the rules right.

i am a newby so don't want to get it wrong but very disappointed not to get the cert today i must admit

Hello Ron

I presume you mean that effectively you have a simple blanking plug as a "blowdown". Obviously this cannot be used as a means of blowing the boiler down when it is still in steam. It is desirable that this can be done as it will enable the debris and accumulated sediments to be blown out of the boiler under pressure. With a plug, if I understand your situation correctly, you will have to wait until the pressure has entirely disappeared before removing it. The boiler water will then dribble out, leaving a lot of sediment behind. Undoing a plug fitting with the boiler in steam is not to be recommended. You would need a good supply of replacement plugs and it would damage the threads in the boiler when it blew out!

Over time, sediments would accumulate in the bottom of the firebox and could lead to premature boiler failure due to overheating.

It should not be too difficult to fit a proper blowdown - there are lots of them described in ME and other magazines, and they're available from suppliers like Blackgates. You may need to provide a bigger hole in the frames to clear it, however.

The "Green Book" does not insist on blowdown valves to be fitted. However, a Boiler Inspector is quite within his rights to refuse to issue a certificate if in his opinion the boiler is inadequate in some way, or if it contravenes Club Rules. The Boiler Inspectors have your own interests at heart in this case - so don't despair, just fit a proper blowdown and everybody wins.

I think (in this instance) I may well have issued a certificate with the proviso that a proper blowdown valve be fitted within a fairly short time scale.

Thank you for that Nigel just heard it's just a Club rule will get one from black gates save any problems

Ron

If when it arrives it has a PTFE seat make sure you don't overdo thightening it, they need surprisingly litle to turn them off, overdoing it can spoil the seat.

Thank you for advice will becareful.

regards Ron

" was refused a steam test as i have a screw in drain plug and not a tap to blow down the boiler" In my humble opinion the boiler inspector should stick to the criteria layed out in the reg book. He should certify your boiler regardless of his or his club preferances as you may wish to run it elsewhere. He is ofcourse then well within his right to not allow you on to the track for not complying with club rules!!

It passed next time I went but because I put on Internet very angry with me. I fitted blow down valve so it then went through but said it failed for other reasons don't know what as it passed with it fitted. So confusing

some boiler examiners think they are God.

They have an important job to do, but some just want to make their own rules cos they dont understand what is already written.. glad our last one left !

From how i see it, a new boiler going for its first shell test should have all holes simply plugged, ie no fittings on it including blow down valves

I would echo 'old Al'.

My last club was an odd set up. The club boiler inspector had never made a boiler whereas I've been making them for 30 odd years. He would raise all sorts of stupid points. All of which could easily be dealt with and quickly resolved, but it only showed his lack of experience. My main gripe was when the club secretary (who had a fantastic ego and was very jealous of my locos) went to his van to get an industrial torch to shine inside the various stages of the boiler internals, which was no business of him as he was not a boiler inspector - but kept all the paperwork rather than the club boiler inspector (he had also never built a boiler). Reluctantly he never found any fault.

Despite numerous requests for a final boiler test on my last boiler, no test date was forthcoming, so I cancelled my membership and joined another club with old friends who do these things properly!

I should add the above is very rare, and most clubs adopt very helpful and well organised boiler testing with experienced boiler inspectors.

Cheers,

Julian

Sometimes I think being a club boiler inspector must be one of the most thankless tasks in the world!

If there are any on the forum, no wonder they keep shtum!

Neil