Eau de Boiler

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maple1

Minister of Fire
Sep 15, 2011
11,082
Nova Scotia
I'd been into my old system & unit on occasion over the years, and replaced the coil gaskets a couple times - so I knew what the inside of a boiler & its water smelled like.

But - this evening I figured I should bleed out the air from the very top of my storage tanks that had been accumulating there since I got my system going a month or whatever ago. It had settled at that spot after working its way out of all the piping and other little hiding places. There wasn't a whole lot there - I didn't think. But talk about stink. When I went back upstairs, the family was all over me about what the heck that smell was - it was all over the house. I think they thought the septic tank had exploded into the basement or something - it must be lighter than real air because it seems to have gone right up through the whole place. I guess maybe I should have run a hose from the vent out a window - I knew it would smell but didn't realize it would be this bad. Eeesh...
 
Propane tanks.

It smelled like boiler, just way stronger. I also might have let more air out than I thought I did.

I've got my sidearm piping all apart right now, rearranging that. There seems to be a little black residue accumulating/forming on the pipe interiors - which I think is a good thing.
 
I think it has something to do with the mercaptain, however you spell it, that is put into LP to stink. Think about it, really hot water in the tank must just absorbe that stuff.

TS
 
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