I wish we'd team build a boiler now

[Cedge]

It might be redundant, but I'll second John and Ralph on their comments. No one has yet to say building a boiler is a bad idea, in and of itself. The main concern is the team build aspect. There are just too many safety variables to such an endeavor for comfort, from a group stand point. It's blindly trusting the unknown skill levels and knowledge of overly eager participants that has been the major point of concern voiced throughout the thread. I'd really hate to learn that I'm the reason they call her the "Widow Warfield".

My advise is to educate yourself very well on the subject, FIRST and THEN build one. Many a successful boiler has been built in the past and many more will be built in the future.

Steve
Who is more than a little confused by the apparent anger caused by prudent concerns being voiced for the safety and well being of Bob and other board members.

 

[Bernd]

Ralph: That video showed me 2 problems right off the bat. One, I didn't see a pressure gage. Two, you don't use a torch to heat a boiler. It was heating in only one spot. Right in the middle. This would weaken that part of the boiler. Would a proper burner under that boiler have caused it not to blow up? I won't know. Many variables. The persons that made that video were very irresponsible in what they did as far as I'm concerned.

Bob: In our sue happy society your best friend could turn on you if you made a mistake on something like a boiler and it exploded injuring his family. One of the problems I see in a team boiler build is a person using scrap material of unknown origin. For example, if somebody used a piece of pipe that had been previously used to contain pressure. That pipe may be unusable due to small fractures. You use it to build a boiler. Then going through several heating and cooling cycles could make the boiler weaker. The next time you fire it up, BANG. If and when I build a boiler I would only use new material for construction. I see the problem of a team build as a quality control issue of material used.

Bernd

 

[Bogstandard]

Bernd,

Using a blowtorch isn't dangerous, if used in the correct manner. In fact before gas fired ceramic came along, and after self pressurising liquid burners, the main source was just to wack a blowtorch into the flue.
In fact I used to use a generally accepted method of boiler testing using a blowtorch instead of a water pump. But I will not give details about that, as it could be dangerous in the wrong heads.

John

 

[Bernd]

John,

I would have thought that using a blow torch such as they did and heating only the middle of the boiler would not be a wise way of doing it. But, as they say, live and learn. Thanks John.

Bernd

 

[Bogstandard]

Bernd.

Conduction and convection come into play on a boiler. The heat will not remain localised for very long.
In fact I use conduction to good effect when silver soldering, you can get the solder to flow where you want it.

You are perfectly correct in asking questions about such things, I ask my mentor things all the time. You are never to old to learn something new. In fact, young Ranger shows me things in his posts that I have never seen before, so you are never too young to teach old dogs new tricks. Everyone knows something that can be of use to someone else.

John

 

[kvom]

It also works the other way around, mountain climbers will boil water, but because of the reduced atmospheric pressure, it is only warm when it is boiling.

I have trekked at high altitudes in both Nepal and Tibet. To cook at these altitudes it is useful to have a pressure cooker, which in some respects is similar to a boiler. I do know that my grandmother's pressure cooker was built like a bank vault, with a simple pressure relief valve on top.

I have no desire or intention to build a boiler.