Hot water system

[googe]

Hey all, im looking into the hotwater system side of boilers. I need some info on, what type would be lead free?, certain brands are better than others?. Thanks for any advice.

Cheers

[Rumdrinker]

Hey Googe,
I've got a couple of Saxon copper HWS's that I'm eventually going to convert to boilers but the tanks on these are fairly thin which will make them a bit harder to modify :angry-banghead:
I think the older copper HWS tanks would be thicker copper but lead solder would be a concern.

[crow]

all of the mains pressure copper tanks are silver soldered some of the low pressure gravity tub type ones maybe soft soldered but from what I've seen most are also hard soldered. I've looked at getting a low pressure one as they would make the perfect mash tun and as you would know I have the 100 gal boiler which is probably way to big now, but some other options have come to light ;-)

[googe]

Thanks fellas, rum,drinker, do you think it would be to thin to hold any decent weight?. Does it have it written on it if its low or high pressure crow?. How would I identify if its good lead?. Sorry I know nothing about them!.

[Rumdrinker]

Thanks fellas, rum,drinker, do you think it would be to thin to hold any decent weight?

My only concern is the weight of the still attached to the top of the tank. I'm thinking of brazing a piece of 4" to the tank high enough to put the insulation & cladding back on & bracing to the cladding with a couple inches clearance to the ferrule.

[crow]

the only good lead is the bit sitting in the forehead of a charging scrub bull bud :laughing-rolling:. If its old and soft soldered its almost certainly lead . high pressure tanks are boilers and look like boilers, the tops are convexed and the bottoms are normally convexed or concaved . The low pressure ones kinda look like a giant hat box flat on the bottom and the top will be likely flat and just held on with screws if it even has a top

[crow]

Thanks fellas, rum,drinker, do you think it would be to thin to hold any decent weight?

My only concern is the weight of the still attached to the top of the tank. I'm thinking of brazing a piece of 4" to the tank high enough to put the insulation & cladding back on & bracing to the cladding with a couple inches clearance to the ferrule.

yeah look flat copper for sure but there is a lot of self sustaining structural strength in a dome, that's just an engineering fact and although you would be cutting some out you'd be replacing it with a copper ferrule so this wouldn't in the slightest weaken it ;-)

[Rumdrinker]

Thanks fellas, rum,drinker, do you think it would be to thin to hold any decent weight?

My only concern is the weight of the still attached to the top of the tank. I'm thinking of brazing a piece of 4" to the tank high enough to put the insulation & cladding back on & bracing to the cladding with a couple inches clearance to the ferrule.

yeah look flat copper for sure but there is a lot of self sustaining structural strength in a dome, that's just an engineering fact and although you would be cutting some out you'd be replacing it with a copper ferrule so this wouldn't in the slightest weaken it ;-)

I'm not too concerned about the structural integrity of the boiler but more the sturdiness of the still when attached, thats why I'm thinking of bracing the neck of the ferrule to the cladding. Don't want it all wobbly :))

[crow]

yeah the beauty of a copper boiler is the heat dispersal , if you attach anything to it that will detract from it . Be more inclined to go with a brass or copper collar around the ferrule myself ;-)

[googe]

Sounds like a nice boiler when its done rumdrinker :handgestures-thumbupleft: . I ment to say got not good lead crow, stupid phone with little keys :angry-banghead: . I'm having a blonde day today I think, I know what not mean about pressure tank and non. 8-} . Thanks for the info fellas.

[Rumdrinker]

Copper collar is what I'm thinking, either braised or tig welded to the neck

[crow]

Copper collar is what I'm thinking, either braised or tig welded to the neck

:handgestures-thumbupleft: yep that's what I'd do to the ferrule neck and to the boiler lid/top