Son of Smaug in my Vostok.

Amberale

Hey Folks.
My Vostok seems to have a tiny dragon sleeping in it.
At least that is what it sounds like.
It is very faint but sounds like a little dragon exhaling for 5 seconds and then nothing for about ten seconds then repeat,

It is the steam boiler, if I turn that off it goes away.
Initially I thought it was just the ?temp sensor (A) as it was a bit loose and there was a tiny amount of water oozing there however I retaped and refitted that and the sound is still there.
To be honest it is almost faint enough for me to just be hearing the boiler cycle on and off but I don’t recall it happening before.

My next suspect is the fitting at B.
There appears to have been leakage around the base of that but I can’t see any moisture.

Can folks confirm that there shouldn’t be audible noise from the boilers?
My hearing is reasonable but not super powered.

Don’t ask for videos.
I love this forum but it is the only platform I am on that requires me to get a utube account to post videos.

Not happening.

DavecUK

Amberale I love this forum but it is the only platform I am on that requires me to get a utube account to post videos.

This is because it’s hosted for free on freeflarum, and videos take up a lot of space and we don’t have a huge amount. At least we have no adverts

Adrianmsmith

Amberale Don’t ask for videos.
I love this forum but it is the only platform I am on that requires me to get a utube account to post videos.

Not happening.

Not sure why you would say that.

YouTube account is free if you dont mind ads.

And, you do not have to make the video public. if you make it private we all need access to a link to view it, which you copy, paste to your comment.

It is not visible to a web search if you make it private.

People would probably prefer i had your attitude 🤭😜 and not bother to post videos!!

But in all seriousness it is a great tool and a 10 second video can save a lot of guess work and misinterpretation of your “issues”….

Adrianmsmith

Amberale Can folks confirm that there shouldn’t be audible noise from the boilers?

Without a video its not really possibly to comment if your noise is “normal” or not.

Id agree with Jake also regarding the “staining” likely being from the thread locker used.

When I first opened up my vesuvius pressure profiler I was shocked to see all the evidence of leaking in various places.

Needless to say …. No leaks were or had been there it was just the leeching and varnishing effect of the threadlocker used.

I can certainly hear the steam boiler on my evo 2 MORE so AFTER pulling water and as the heater kicks back in, than on its initial heat up period . Not everything you hear is an issue but im not saying you dont have an issue….. Need more Data!! (Video) 😜🤭

Amberale

Pics [/URL

Adrianmsmith

Amberale

after getting off the phone and dragging myself to a pc, zooming in on B does seem to suggest evidence of escaped steam around that fitting…..

Elcarajillo

With the slight staining I would think that is where the leak /sound is from, as it will be very hot any steam /moisture will evaporate rapidly. Remove and reseal.

Cuprajake

The staining is the thread lock usually

Can you wet it with soapy water

It could be the element kicking in,

What water goes in as it could be a scaled up heater..

Amberale

Cuprajake

I installed this boiler and I didn’t use any thread locker and I don’t think I used any liquid sealant but, I do have some and I can’t see any tape on that fitting.

The machine has always been fed rainwater through a particle filter and a BWT bestmin M after having my water tested by Bombora supplies (THE water experts in Oz)

Soapy water is a good idea, thanks.
I think it is the element but I wanted to check with other owners about if they can hear theirs.

To be clear, to hear it I need to turn off the radio, the fan on the heater and we live on a farm with zero traffic or other noise.

The boiler is set to 124C for information.

DavecUK

I think it might well be the element kicking in.

Amberale

DavecUK

I do too Dave.
I am not sure if it is cycling more frequently due to some minor leak.
The temperature seems stable.

Re the site, I understand why it doesn’t host video storage I just don’t want to use Utube.
It also reminds me to sort out a donation, they seem pretty low.

John_Yossarian

As it was mentioned, do you see the periods between the “exhaling” getting longer with the steam boiler getting hotter? Is there anti-vacuum valve on the steam boiler that might malfunction?

DavecUK

Adrianmsmith YouTube account is free if you dont mind ads.

In truth, you can create a youtube account and only use it to upload your own videos and NEVER have to watch anything on YT. Effectively free video sharing and storage.

Amberale

Adrianmsmith

I’m not asking if it is normal, I am asking if anyone else can hear anything.
You can, that’s good news.
I had not noticed this noise over the previous 12 months.
I am still asleep when it is warming up so I have no idea what it sounds like then.
I’ll turn it off this arvo, let it cool down and start it up while I listen.

Adrianmsmith

DavecUK

Yes basically what i intended to do, but….. thats easier said than done with all the stuff on there 🤭😎

I try to limit my time to just a few hours per day ☕😚

Amberale

Is there a reason that I would hear the element in the steam boiler but not the brew boiler?
One is over boiling point while the other is under but surely the water in the steam boiler doesn’t actually boil while under pressure.

Adrianmsmith

Amberale One is over boiling point while the other is under but surely the water in the steam boiler doesn’t actually boil while under pressure.

I believe by definition for water to be given enough energy to make the phase change from liquid to steam it has to boil.

In the typical brew water heater the water does not reach the boiling point or make the phase change, remaining as a hot liquid.

I assume the phase change is what we hear, assuming no leaks to create that other, annoying, hissing sound 🤭

to be clear, i’m not suggesting we should hear anything once its in a steady state, only after steaming or pulling water with the heater constantly on, or on the initial warm up once above 99 red balloons!!

chlorox

If it’s related to smaug, putting a gold trinket in the boiler may work LOL 😆

DavecUK

Adrianmsmith after getting off the phone and dragging myself to a pc, zooming in on B does seem to suggest evidence of escaped steam around that fitting…..

Just looks like a smear of threadlock that was used on the boiler fitting.

Also I have noticed over 20+ years that HX machine heating elements and steam boiler ones on dual boiler machines, always make “that” noise. Brew boilers on the other hand are usually much more refined. Especially once they have warmed up, because they rarely make full power and are usually of a much lower wattage.