1968 American Standard/Kewanee Type C Boiler

  • Year Made: 1968
  • Type: Type C/firebox
  • Fuel: Combination (natural gas/oil)
  • Ignition System: Ray Burner Co. combination burner and controls. (Fire-Eye control)
  • Rated Output: 114 BHP
  • Location: Boonville High School (Boonville, Mo.)
  • Status: Retired

Click here to visit the original (archived) page for this boiler.

This boiler was constructed in 1968 and installed in the basement while the school was still under construction. Despite the boiler being retired over a decade due to being inefficient (and being replaced by individual roof-top units serving each classroom), the boiler is still in the basement. (Probably due to a high cost to remove the boiler.)

The boiler contains a Ray combination burner and control system, which could use natural gas and oil as the fuel source. Oil was piped into the basement from a now-removed oil tank. Remnants of the oil pipes and a oil leak (which stained the wall) are still located in the basement. The Ray control system used an early Fireeye ignition control module, which still used vacuum tubes rather than transistors or (later) microcontrollers.

This boiler produced low-pressure steam, which was sent throughout the school to fan-forced radiators located in each room. This boiler also has a large amount of asbestos, such as the door gasketing and the pipe insulation.

This boiler was THE boiler that introduced me to the “world” of Kewanee and boilers in general. While carrying out my duties as manager of our high school boys’ basketball team, I photographed it on November 5, 2013 and sent the photos to Dave Clarke of the Kewanee Star-Courier.

In 2014, information and the photos of this boiler were published on the longest-surviving page on my website. (The page itself predates the garrettfuller.org domain by nearly two years.) That page was finally removed from service in May 2021, but can still be accessed on the Internet Archives. Note: not all photos from the original page about this boiler have been moved over. Visit the archived page to view all photos. However, beware that photos are full resolution there.

Please click on a photo to view the high-resolution version.

The original photo of the 1968 American Standard/Kewanee Type C boiler. [Photographed November 5, 2013]
The Ray Burner Co. combination gas/oil burner on the 1968 American Standard/Kewanee Type C boiler. [Photographed November 5, 2013.]
Another angle of the 1968 American Standard/Kewanee Type C boiler, showing the steam trim. [Photographed November 29, 2013.]
The control panel for the Ray Burner Co. combination burner, located on a wall adjacent to the boiler itself. [Photographed December 6, 2013.]
A view of the tubes located in the 1968 American Standard/Kewanee Type C boiler. During operation, hot gasses would pass through these tubes to heat water, producing steam. [Photographed February 11, 2014.]

Photos © Garrett Fuller.