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[slimjim]

Wait! If Stainless doesn't corrode then I wonder why HeatMaster requires a test and some others don't?

[E Yoder]

It can pit from electrolysis, and the black iron in the system needs treatment.
No material is bulletproof. Each had it's strengths and weaknesses.

[slimjim]

Well Thank You for that admission, the only black iron that I'm aware of is the 1 inch close 90s on the supply / return and the nipples welded into the stainless jacketI wonder why they don't bite the bullet and use brass? Would it be for cost alone? Wouldn't the dissimilar metals welded together pose an issue?

[E Yoder]

The threaded outlets are stainless..

[slimjim]

Really, are you sure? Why use black iron for the 90s then and not stainless there as well, then in theory there would be no need for testing right?

[E Yoder]

Yes, they're stainless.
Any furnace benefits from water treatment.

[slimjim]

How so and why require it if no damage will happen to the stainless boiler from corrosion?

[E Yoder]

It can pit from electrolysis

[mlappin]

How so and why require it if no damage will happen to the stainless boiler from corrosion?

Supposedly boiler treatment helps to also keep any mineral scale from building up on the internals of the water jacket. I know the high PH is also supposed to prevent algae or other scum from growing in the water.

[slimjim]

So what you are both saying is that stainless is also vulnerable without proper treatment? I wonder if anyone has ever done a study on the percentage of boilers manufactured with stainless vs carbon steel that have failed prematurely, by prematurely I'm thinking a water jacket / tank failure of any type needing repair within the first 10 years of service. Perhaps a survey of the members here would be in order?

[mlappin]

So what you are both saying is that stainless is also vulnerable without proper treatment? I wonder if anyone has ever done a study on the percentage of boilers manufactured with stainless vs carbon steel that have failed prematurely, by prematurely I'm thinking a water jacket / tank failure of any type needing repair within the first 10 years of service. Perhaps a survey of the members here would be in order?

/sigh

Mineral scale can build up on anything. Algae also grows on anything. The wife’s latest hobby is aquariums. Glass can last for thousands of years, algae still grows on it. When my father was a young union tin knocker he installed slate roofs, when done correctly they can last for hundreds of years, algae or moss can still grow on it.

Seems Wood Doctor proves mild steel can be crap.

[slimjim]

Yup just like anything or any boiler, if it's cheapened up enough then it will prematurely fail, I still have my old Wood Doctor here that happens to have heated my home and shop for 14 years without a hitch, no high tech controls, mild steel construction, burned a lot of stuff that a gasser would have failed with, never been welded on since the day it was new, i was going to sell it but on second thought I think I'll keep it around as kind of an insurance policy.

[slimjim]

So let me get this right, algae developing inside the tank doesn't harm stainless but it does carbon steel, boiler treatment in a stainless unit isn't to stop corrosion but instead electrolysis, without sending a sample in to the factory designated test lab and positive results,  the warranty can be voided? Would a ground lug and wire grounding the unit then be sufficient to keep the boiler from requiring warranty work on the tank of stainless boilers, seems to me that the added cost of boiler treatment and postage for testing should be an interesting sales pitch if what you guys are saying is true.

[shepherd boy]

    mlappin, your comment about high ph preventing algae interests me. Had three cases of high temp algae growing inside water to air heat exchangers, which plugged them up. All had ph in the 8 to 10 range. Just wondering if you know how high the ph needs to go to kill the algae? We found a way to prevent it but not through PH increase.

[mlappin]

Now that’s interesting, maybe I had it wrong and the high nitrate is supposed to prevent algae? With a high PH though your well past the acidic end of the scale. I never ran any treatment in my old one, 5/16” firebox, 3/16” water jacket but our tap water comes out at 7.6, spent a lot of money trying to get that water down to a perfect 7.0 in the wife’s aquariums, finally gave up and just started buying fish and plants that could tolerate alkaline conditions. Life is persistent though, I’d never thought algae could grow in diesel fuel until having to deal with plugged up fuel filter after plugged up fuel filter one year.