End of Season Cleaning

I have a '59 520 with a fitzgibbons boiler. This is what I've done to clean the system
1. From the rear, removed the cleanout door and the stove pipe. Took a brush and ran it through every tube. Wire brushed the tops of the tubes from the cleanout door. Vacumed and blew compressed air to get rid of the dust. Cleaned out the bottom rear where the stove pipe connects.
2. From the front, used an awl and poked through each hole in the pot.
3.Wire brushed all of the metal walls around the pot. Kept the fines handle pulled and blew compressed air through the holes in the grate.
4. Cleaned the sheet metal that separates the bottom of the pot from the ash tub. Man that was loaded with fly ash. I'll have to clean that more often.
5. Disassembled and cleaned all of the stove pipe. I had to take it out this time to install the water coil. Next year I'll just brush and vacumn
6. Cleaned the chimney thimble and vacumed out the cleanout.

Did I miss anything? This is my first time cleaning.

I would leave the stove pipe off for the summer, unless you plan to use the boiler. Check periodically for any leaks and fix them at once.

Thanks
This weekend I should complete piping the DHW coil into my system. Then I'll be relying on the 520 for hot water year round.

billw wrote:I have a '59 520 with a fitzgibbons boiler. This is what I've done to clean the system
1. From the rear, removed the cleanout door and the stove pipe. Took a brush and ran it through every tube. Wire brushed the tops of the tubes from the cleanout door. Vacumed and blew compressed air to get rid of the dust. Cleaned out the bottom rear where the stove pipe connects.
2. From the front, used an awl and poked through each hole in the pot.
3.Wire brushed all of the metal walls around the pot. Kept the fines handle pulled and blew compressed air through the holes in the grate.
4. Cleaned the sheet metal that separates the bottom of the pot from the ash tub. Man that was loaded with fly ash. I'll have to clean that more often.
5. Disassembled and cleaned all of the stove pipe. I had to take it out this time to install the water coil. Next year I'll just brush and vacumn
6. Cleaned the chimney thimble and vacumed out the cleanout.

Did I miss anything? This is my first time cleaning.

Bill # 4 would be the ASH Ring below your Pot it is ment to funnel the Ash into the round ASH Tub Thats why it has a round cut out in it .Now if you use the Bigger # 1 or # 2 SQ ASH tub you do not need it in because they are wider then the round tubs they will catch all the ash that comes of the pot ring. Plus with out it in you will have less to no ash build up on top of the two side rails

Thanks JC. Is it a bolt in? When I started burning last October I couldn't find the square tubs. I found a local hardware store that carries them so I might pick up a couple. I don't like the idea of all of that ash laying up against the sheet metal.

I second stoker-man's tip. Especially if it's located in a moist basement.

This is a typical 22 gauge Home Depot pipe left hooked up & uncleaned in my wet basement:

Ouch, how many years old is that? I was given the galvanized pipe I'm using now. I know I should be using black pipe but the price was right. Once it rusts I'll do it the right way unless I find someone else to give me galvanized.

billw wrote:Thanks JC. Is it a bolt in? When I started burning last October I couldn't find the square tubs. I found a local hardware store that carries them so I might pick up a couple. I don't like the idea of all of that ash laying up against the sheet metal.

The ash will not do anything to the metal unless it gets moisture in it aslong as you keep the unit running all year round
you will not have to worry about it rotting out no moisture no rust no rot keep the heat in the unit to keep out the
moisture/humidity you do have it on block off the floor correct

Yep the unit's on blocks. By the end of the weekend I should be able to re-lite the unit if I can get rid of this stomach flu.

billw wrote:Yep the unit's on blocks. By the end of the weekend I should be able to re-lite the unit if I can get rid of this stomach flu.

Bill did you take off the back flue plate to clean the base out and tubes if so did you reseal it up with furnace cement or hi temp silicon