Steam boilers, Cleaver Brooks, power plants and controls: “you don’t hear of any steam boilers exploding anymore, now do you buddy!”

"Can't live without em".

Upper left: that's Paul's homemade model of a steam boiler he built from spare steel parts - "just for kicks" he told me. It's got the basic components, the holding tank, the condensation tank, the valves, it's fired by coal in the central oven and blasts the flame forward and backward in the holding vessel to optimize heat and transfer to the water. There's the basic steam boiler theory manual as a reference in the power plant. Don't forget, you need a third class or second class fireman's license to stand guard with these boilers. Peterson's school of Engineering in South Boston will help you pass the test.

Then there's the outer jacket of the Cleaver Brooks steam boiler: it was cleaned last week; washed with water with all the rust particles swept out. Any corrosion on the gas jets are cleaned; inspected with a state license and assured of satifactory operations as the heating season kicks in on October 09.






Someone suggested to fire it up now: it was 50 degrees this morning - July 7th.<