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HB Smith boiler data tag at InspectApedia.comHB Smith & AO Smith & Smith Boilers
History, manuals, contact information

Manuals, parts lists, wiring diagrams for HB Smith boilers & Smith Boilers.

 

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H. B. Smith Boiler Company + contact info for Smith Boilers & A.O. Smith Water Heaters

Overheated HB SMith boiler (C) Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.comFree Furnace, Heat Pump, Air Conditioner Installation & Service Manuals, Wiring Diagrams, Parts Lists

Photo: even a high-quality boiler like this HB Smith unit inspected by the author can suffer mishap.

Below we provide HVAC manufacturer contact information and direct links to free downloadable installation, service, and users manuals, focusing on hard-to-find manuals for older models or discontinued equipment. We also provide links to the manufacturer's current model lists and literature.

HB Smith, (Lowell Mass) beginning as a foundry in the 1800's, incorporated in 1878, made a cast iron boilers beginning before 1870 and continuing over many years. Boilers of the same size and type and even model were made over long periods and may look very much alike.

In the U.S., you can locate the H. B. Smith Company, Inc.., 47 Westfield Industrial Park Road, Westfield, MA  01085, Tel: (413) 568-3148 offers this company history at their website http://www.hbsmith.com/

The H. B. Smith Company, a true pioneer in the heating industry as we know it today, was founded in the mid-1850's  by two brothers, Henry B. and Edwin Smith.  Originally manufacturing fences and other ornate iron work, the Smith brothers' manufacturing expertise turned to cast-iron heating products in 1859 when they formed an association with inventor, Samuel Gold and commenced manufacturing his patented "Gold" boiler/radiator products.

As the central heating industry grew, so did The H. B. Smith Company; and by 1879 the company was also manufacturing the "Mills" boiler patented by inventor John Mills.  A century and a half later, The H. B. Smith Company continues to manufacture a broad line of quality cast-iron boilers for both residential and commercial, industrial applications, including several models of "Mills" design.

From its humble beginning, our Company has weathered many economic highs and lows.  Down from the high of 450 employees in 1988, we currently have a workforce numbering 50+.  Our plant workers have been represented by Local 95 of  the Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics & Allied Workers International Union for over 100 years.  Management and Union employees work amicably together to ensure that high standards are always maintained.

Smith boiler data tag at InspectApedia.com

 


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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

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On 2017-03-29 by (mod) re: HB Smith history and contact information and boiler age decoding

Regina,

That's a great but difficult question. HB Smith, (Lowell Mass) beginning as a foundry in the 1800's, incorporated in 1878, made a superb line of cast iron boilers beginning before 1870 and continuing over many years. Boilers of the same size and type and even model were made over long periods and may look very much alike.

If we (or you) contacted HB Smith for help they's probably say that without a data tag that gives the boiler serial number setting an accurate age will not be possible.

You could try a more subtle approach that might earn your $1900:

Contact the company
Phone: (413) 568-3148
Fax: (413) 568-0525
Website http://www.hbsmith.com/
Letter: The H. B. Smith Company, Inc.
47 Westfield Industrial Park Road
Westfield, MA 01085

and ask if there were specific residential steam boiler features that are visually detectable and that first appeared in their boilers) in particular years beginning 30 or more years ago. For example a particular casting shape or mark or boiler feature.

Armed with that information, and even without a data tag you could at the very least assert that the boiler was made after that feature first appeared

or conversely

Ask what features disappeared so that you could also have an ending year.

see H.B. SMITH BOILERS Manuals, Contact information

H.B. Smith, A.O. Smith, & Smith Boilers are three different companies

Kelvin

AO Smith encodes the date in the first two digits in the second-to-last group when you see this format
K81-710-806-F0017 - that 806 = 1980

HB Smith boilers usually code the year as

Smith Boilers (Mestek subsidiary) encode the year with aletter followed by two digits of the year

Your "Smith" boilers don't exactly match these formats,

I'm not sure which "Smith" boiler (Westcast) you've got. But from the GB I'm guessing this is a Smith Boiler. Gas-Fired hydronic or steam boiler.

You can contact Smith Boilers directly at

Westcast, Inc., 260 North Elm Street, Westfield, MA 01085 (413) 562-9631 FAX: (413) 562-3799 Website: www.smithboiler.com

I'd guess (without really knowing) you've got a 1975 and a 1985 boiler each.

(thanks to Carson Dunlop Associates Technical Reference Guide cited in and available from links in this article)

On 2017-03-29 by Regina P

I've been told my steam boiler was made by HB Smith, but the tag/sticker is nowhere on the boiler. We've owned the home since 1999, and the owners before us were here for five years before that and did not replace it.

We are planning to replace it this spring as it is rusting on the sides, and there have been some intermittent water leaks. However, none of the heating contractors we've had estimates from will certify that it is over 30 years old, which would allow us to get a $1900 tax credit/rebate. Is there a way to determine the age without that tag? The burner attached is dated from the 1986.

On 2016-10-24 by Dave re: age of old HB Smith Boilers

I have several very old H.B.Smith boilers that I need to know what the age is. They are 28A Series Serial # 28A-12-050446; H.B.Smith Model 450 Mills; Smith 28 high efficiency 8A Series, Serial #28A-11-060623

Question: Determine the age of an HB Smith gas fired boiler

how can I tell the age of my gas boiler?
It is a HB Smith Series PV150 model @200W5 - Joe 11/1/11

Reply: History of the H.B. Smith Boiler Company

Joe you gave us a model number but no serial number. Because models are manufactured over a number of years the equipment age is encoded in its serial number not its model number. Take a look on your data tag:

HB Smith boiler data tag decoding: (pattern not verified)

In the serial number the second and third digit from the left are usually the year. E.g. from Carson Dunlop's Technical Reference,

A82-2248 would translate to year of manufacture 1982

HB Smith water heater data tag decoding:

In the serial number, begining with a letter (indicating the wate heater model), the next two digits from the left indicate the year of manufacture just as the boiler serial number above.

Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, have provided us with (and we recommend) Carson Dunlop Weldon & Associates'Technical Reference Guide to manufacturer's model and serial number information for heating and cooling equipment

Special Offer: Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Technical Reference Guide purchased as a single order.

Just enter INSPECTATRG in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.

See H.B. SMITH BOILERS Manuals, Contact for more information.

(May 26, 2017) kelvin said:

Trying to find the age of two Smith cast iron boilers. S/N GB300-2002-75 & GB300-2002-85

Moderator reply:

Kelvin please see SMITH BOILER MANUALS


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