Y strainer keeps getting plugged up

[larryjbjr]

OK, a little history first. I bought this used 17-year-old Johnson Littlejohn outdoor wood boiler back in June. I don’t know how long it sat unused, but there was a tag on it that said “drained October 2013“ so I know at least the last 4 winters.

I checked it real good and everything seem to be solid on it. So I gave the man $500 and took it home.

After much back-and-forth I decided to keep it and I just got it hooked up this week.

I installed a brass Y strainer before the pump and I’ve noticed that it keeps getting plugged up with some kind of green stringy stuff kinda like seaweed. At this point I’m having to clean the strainer twice a day and usually it’s totally plugged.

I’m assuming that since it sat so long something probably starting growing in the bottom. But I see no way to clean it.

Anybody here ever dealt with something like that? Is there some kind of additive I can put in the water to break this stuff up? Or do I just keep cleaning it until it gets everything out?

 

[goosegunner]

Never heard of that. But I would call Wood Boiler solutions in Waupun WI and talk to them. I would get their pre cleaner and give it a good cleaning. Then treat the water. Might as well start with a nice clean system.

Here is the link.

(broken link removed)

 

[larryjbjr]

Thank you.

I called them, they recommended running their cleaner through there and then flush it out and then add their treatment.

So I’m going that route.

Really I should’ve done that to begin with.

 

[Bob Rohr]

Sounds like a bacteria or algae growth. I had a concrete open tank in my shop years ago as a buffer. It grew some slime like that over the summer, Started to smell like sewer gas as it broke down.

It may take more than a hydronic treatment if it is bacterial? Cooling towers use treatments for algae growth. (legionella)

Good idea regardless to run a cleaner thru the entire system.