Leaking pipe - tape?

JonC

Hi, I'm back with another project. I've been laid up after ankle surgery and let the water get low in the boiler. I woke up this morning to some banging and a smokey smell. Hobbled downstairs and the water level is zero and there is a leak in a horizontal main steam line. I've filled the boiler and turned it off. The pipe is 1 1/2" and has been taped at the spot before (previous owner). The leak is a fast drip.

Do you think the boiler is ok?
I'd like to fix the leak without changing out the pipe - what's the best way to do that? Or should I not try this quick fix?

Thanks,

Jon

JonC

There was no smoke just the smell - I'm guessing it just got real hot.

bmwpowere36m3

Is it leaking at a joint or the pipe itself? Black iron, copper?

BobC

Check the boiler after an hour or two to make sure it's not leaking, hopefully you caught it before it cracked. You might be able to fix that leak and you might not, you won't know till you try.

How old is this boiler and why doesn't it have a working low water cutoff that would have shut the boiler down before it overheated? This is why the function has to be tested from time to time. Probe LWCO's should be removed and cleaned every year, float types should be blown down to clean and test them a couple of times a month.

Bob

JonC

It's leaking on the pipe itself. It's painted but pretty sure it's iron - definitely not copper.

JonC

Bob, it's a newer Burnam (maybe 8 years old) and does have a low water shut and maybe it did shut off - it wasn't on when I got down there. However, it was pretty empty and took a while to fill and there was the smell.
What is the method to fix the pipe? If it's taping, what kind of tape?

JonC

How about Permawrap?

ChrisJ

I thought there was some kind of rubber coupler that was rated for steam use? Kind of like the hubbless Fernco connectors used on drain lines, except rated for steam use. I think they're referred to as "dresser couplings"

Perhaps that would work?

Personally I'd replace the pipe but if you're looking for a temporary fix it might get you by.

EDIT : after looking, it looks like a dresser coupling needs to be slid onto the pipe so it can't be added later.

BobC

They make a stretch silicone tape that is meant to fix a leak on a temporary basis, that might work. If this is just a very small home another way is to get a rubber coupling, a few adjustable clamps and split the rubber coupling. Cut the coupling so it does not quite go around the pipe and use the clamps to hold the patch over the leak. Be careful when tightening the clamps because if the pipe is weak you could make the leak a lot worse.

In any event that pipe will have to be replaced in the spring, you don't want to try and get something like that fixed during a snowstorm in January.

Bob

JonC

So, if I want to replace the pipe, I get two pipe wrenches and unscrew it from the closest fittings. I suppose you'd cut it in half first? Then have somebody make a replacement with threads?

What is a good website to order stuff - like the rubber coupling and the clamp?

JonC

I can only find giant clamps to repair leaks on pipelines. I'm going to have to go for the tape - the Permawrap looks good.

KC_Jones

If you only replace one piece of pipe what you can do is cut the pipe and unscrew each half from the nearest fitting. Then you would replace with 2 pieces of pipe with a union in between. Another option is find the closest union and work from that point and replace as necessary. Be aware though sometimes if you have one rotted section there are others adjacent that could be in bad shape. I would go with a temporary solution then as soon as warmer weather is here you can tear into the piping and see what you have. You say this is on a steam main? I would investigate why it rotted out in the first place. Rotten steam mains are unusual (not unheard of). Generally it is return lines that rot out. Look for bad pitch or sagging in the pipe when you do replace and adequate pipe support. You don't want water laying around in those pipe or you could end up with the same problem later.

JonC

Thanks KC. It's technically a steam main but it's 30 feet or so from the boiler and it returns directly to the boiler after giving off lines to upstairs- so I imagine it's starting to condensate by the time it reaches the leak. And it's slope is tricky because it's up-sloped coming from the boiler and then down-slopes at some point on it's return trip. It basically makes a big circle from boiler back to boiler.

JonC

I actually talked a boiler company (repair, install) to come out and take a look! That's a big deal here in Kansas as most will only do commercial. I'll let you know what he says - I'm not much use right now with the crutches.

JonC

Low water shutoff not functioning. Boiler tank ok.

KC_Jones

JonC said:

Low water shutoff not functioning. Boiler tank ok.

Definitely get that LWCO fixed as a top priority. You may have gotten lucky this time.

Fred

How long did that leaking pipe take to drain the boiler? How often do you check and add water to the boiler? Is that the only leak you are aware of? Knowing that the system has a leak and (even after you do a temporary repair) has the potential to leak again makes it critical that you get the LWCO repaired/replaced immediately. A dry boiler can be very dangerous and expensive to replace.

JonC

Fred - according to my wife, it was leaking for at least 15 hours (I had no idea and she forgot to tell me). Pretty sure a lot of water came out of that leak and headed straight for a drain. I check twice a week on the water and open the yellow upper drain (to get out some of the sludge) about twice a week (was not doing that for the past 10 days though - mind was fuzzy from pain meds).

Turns out the thing is full of sludge which is why the LWCO was not working (he fixed that for now) and the lower water drain (red valve) was not even piped to the drain. When blowing out the red valve it kept clogging with sludge.

Funny, I had what was supposed to be the boiler expert come out right when I bought the house and he said everything was fine - this guy teaches at a plumbing school. Then I couldn't get him to come back out - should have been a clue.

The LWCO is functioning now. Another thing that is now working is the automatic water refill - the first expert didn't even mention it - told me I had only a manual refill. He also didn't seem to care that the red valve drain was not even set up to drain. Unbelievable.

I'm going to spend some money and get this thing up to code.

He patched the leaky pipe with mastic tape and we'll change it out for a new pipe when it warms up.

Fred

Glad you got the LWCO fixed for now. Sounds like the boiler and I'm sure the wet returns need a good drain and flush before the next heating season.

BobC

I'm glad the new guy worked out well for you, keep his number handy.

Bob

vaporvac

Great that you found someone who knows something. You might consider installing a meter on your auto refill so you can see if you ever develop a leak in the future. It may help keep your boiler from rotting out due to the addition of too much fresh water.
In addition to spending money to get it up to snuff, you should spend some to get a couple of the steam book on this site. The Lost Art of Steam Heating is a great place to start.

JonC

Lost Art of Steam - yeah, I was going to order that a while back -will get on it.