Can heating elements for Crane 200-175 boiler be found?

[KCRandy]

My Crane Co. steam boiler model no. 200-175, 321,000 btu/hr is 46 years old. It has been kept in good repair with many newer parts such as the McDonnell & Miller mechanical water feeder. But recent lead revealed that one of the heating elements is rusted. Company says I'm looking at a new boiler. I'm wondering if those heating elements can be found and replaced. Appreciate advice.

[Poodle Head Mikey]

What voltage and phase is this boiler?

PHM
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My Crane Co. steam boiler model no. 200-175, 321,000 btu/hr is 46 years old. It has been kept in good repair with many newer parts such as the McDonnell & Miller mechanical water feeder. But recent lead revealed that one of the heating elements is rusted. Company says I'm looking at a new boiler. I'm wondering if those heating elements can be found and replaced. Appreciate advice.

[KCRandy]

Label says 115 V 60 her less than 12 amps

[vstech]

Hmm... perhaps there is another label? 12 amps is not much heat... do you have a pic of the boiler? what's it heat?

[KCRandy]

It's for a residential house. I'm hearing from another source it may be possible to take out the heating element and insert a steel tube inside and weld it in place and seal it. Label says 321,000 BTU/hr.

[Poodle Head Mikey]

Them numbers don't add up too good! <g>

12 amps times 115 volts = 1380 watts.

At 3.41 BTU's per watt = 4600 BTU's.

A standard residential grade portable electric heater is 1500 watts.

So unless your house is about 8 feet square . . . . . <g>

You stated somewhere around 321,000 BTU's. That is about 98,000 watts I think.

PHM
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Label says 115 V 60 her less than 12 amps

[KCRandy]

Perhaps I'm not reading the label correctly. It's about 1,800 square foot two-story house.

[Poodle Head Mikey]

Many many electric heating elements are generic.

So perhaps the existing element, if Crane Boiler cannot, in fact; supply it, can be matched up to a generically available heating element?

BTW: what are you doing to heat your house at present?

[KCRandy]

Sorry. Perhaps I haven't been clear. It is a steam boiler natural gas fired.

[Poodle Head Mikey]

Holy Dog Poop Batman!

So there are no ELEMENTS at all! <g>

What is this item you are looking for actually called?

Can you at least describe it in detail?

BTW: 321,000 BTU's is at least Four Times larger boiler than what you actually need there.

[STEVEusaPA]

Do you mean one of the burner tubes? Post some pics if you could.

[BaldLoonie]

Put it out to pasture! It's a relic. You don't drive a 57 Edsel do you?

[beenthere]

Oh, a gas fired steel steam boiler with a tube leaking, or rusting through. Usually, when one tube starts, there are 2 or 3 others ready to do so also.

Might be time to consider a new boiler sized closer to your total radiation. Not to many 1800 sq ft homes have 300,000 plus BTUs of radiation.

[rider77]

Need pics

[Poodle Head Mikey]

What does this mean: "one of the heating elements is rusted" ?

Surface rust? Flaking-off rust? Perforated-through rust?

Now that we know that the "element" is not an electric heating element - what part of the boiler is it? Where is it located in / on the boiler? What does it do?

And what negative thing is happening as a result of this rust?

The above in the interest of your original question - but:

1. A boiler 46 years old is pretty darned old.

2. It is at least 400% of what you need to heat your house. Operating this is very costly.

3. So perhaps the highest & best use for any expenditure is to devote it to funding a properly sized boiler.

4. Do you have cast iron radiators in the house?

5. If so; you they have two pipes connected to each one? Or only a single pipe to each one?

PHM
---------

My Crane Co. steam boiler model no. 200-175, 321,000 btu/hr is 46 years old. It has been kept in good repair with many newer parts such as the McDonnell & Miller mechanical water feeder. But recent lead revealed that one of the heating elements is rusted. Company says I'm looking at a new boiler. I'm wondering if those heating elements can be found and replaced. Appreciate advice.