30 Yo AO Smith Boiler Pluged With Carbon

Dr Heat

I was hoping one of you may have a trick for cleaning the carbon (soot) out of an AO Smith boiler. This is a round boiler with what looks like a car radiator on the top.

Is there a spray to remove soot?

Just hoping an old school boiler man will help me out. The customer can't afford a new boiler.

Static Design

carb or brake cleaner?

hf05

hacksaw blade very carefully. hope its a time and mat job

Dr Heat

Good call, on the hacksaw blade. spent two hours with a coat hanger still too plugged going tomorrow with an air compressor a shop vac and a hacksaw blade. What a mess I'm going to make.

This is a tm but I am not going to charge full bore.

MechAcc

Fire it up get it warm.

Shut it down.

Remove the burners.

Use a garden sprayer filled with hot water and spray it down from the top. Granted there will be a mess but this method does give good results.

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Verbal

i cleaned a few with some stuff from R.E. Micheal called "soot remover". spray it on, hose it out, works fine.

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Best line from a customer "you here for the tune-up? the tank of 22 is in the shed, let me know if you need more."

hvaclover

You use a shop vac you might be sorry. Soot is so fine it will pass thru a shop vac filer and out the vac's exhaust.

Soot Buster vacs are designed for that kinda mess. When I have a sooter I rent a soot buster from a local wholesaler.