HMMMM What happened here?? Cut open Heat exchanger pics
- Thread starter jimn
- Start date
GeneMiller
Member
ouch :!: :!: :!:
gene
gene
Shane T
Member
I always thought pipes expand and bust when frozen. What caused these to collapse?
Jim Martin
Supportive Member
Shane T said:
metal will expand with heat.when we would replace bearings on tapered motor shafts we would take a small camping stove and heat up oil and put the bearing in it and get it as hot as we could then take the bearing and it would just slide all the way down on the shaft and when it cooled it would lock it's self down....most metal ..when it it gets to cold will contract ...more so if it was warm or hot before it started freezing.......but I believe it is copper that will expand and crack..........
Shane T
Member
I get that Jim, but when water freezes it will expand. I would have expected that to be the case with a frozen exchanger.
What happened was the water encompases the inner portion of the large outer diameter tube around the smaller tubes that the engine exhaust travels through. The unit froze, the water/ice expanded, crushed the inside tubing AND expanded the outer 1/4" thick SS outer tube by almost 1/2". This unit must have been soo cold that it was frozen solid.
When water freezes in a closed chamber, it expands and has to go somewhere.
When water freezes in a closed chamber, it expands and has to go somewhere.
Shane T
Member
Wow! That took some real neglect.
rhino1
Member
The collapsed tubes look very uniform, I wouldn't expect that. Did a small leak cause the exchanger to fill, then when that froze it collapsed the tubes?
dgardner
Moderator
Was this just one overnight freeze, or more? I would expect it to take at least 2 or 3 freeze/thaw cycles to collapse the inner tubes that much.
Johnny said:
Johnny, It is very similar. The exhaust heat exchangers can usually be repaired if there is a minor leak. The end caps need to be cut off @ the welds to expose the tubing plate. This will expose the inner plate for the tubing. If there is a leak, it would be apparent with staining or water marks. Are you sure it is not condensation coming out?
Please let me know..
Jim,
Definately solution, not condensation. Drips from the exhaust connection of the exchanger onto the pump. Frequency increases with pressure. A rag placed in front of the muffler will become damp within a few seconds.
Definately solution, not condensation. Drips from the exhaust connection of the exchanger onto the pump. Frequency increases with pressure. A rag placed in front of the muffler will become damp within a few seconds.
