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Corrosion on fittings and mixing valve

sasha55
sasha55 Member Posts: 2
in THE MAIN WALL
Has anyone seen this type of corrosion before? I have a hydronic heating system installed 5 years ago. I just saw this corrosion on some of the fittings during maintenance. Does anyone have any idea what could have caused it or seen this before?






Comments

  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 20,826
    That is the minerals in your water. A very small leak on a gasket or valve assembly seam has allowed water to leak, when it evaporates it leaves behind the scaling minerals. Probably calcium, magnesium.

    Often times a small leak will seal itself when the piping warms and expands, maybe leaks again when it cools down again.
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
    sasha55
  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 6,761
    edited December 2019
    A wire brush is the best fix for that. The leak is not enough to stress about. Once you clean it up... see how long it takes to develop new "corrosion". You may be pleasantly surprised.
    Edward F Young. Retired HVAC ContractorSpecialized in Residential Oil Burner and Hydronics
    sasha55
  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 6,761
    Looks like the beginning of a natural wonder, in a few hundred years you might be able to charge admission.
    https://crystalcavepa.com/home/
    Edward F Young. Retired HVAC ContractorSpecialized in Residential Oil Burner and Hydronics
    sasha55
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,142
    Hi, In the past, when the lead free rules happened, some brass castings were porous because they no longer had the lead to help the molten metal flow. That said, I agree that cleaning up the fittings and just watching them to see how they do is the right course. If you're really into it, take one apart and have a look inside. Yellow brass can clog up with a white scale inside and it couldn't hurt to know if flow is being obstructed.

    Yours, Larry
    sasha55
  • sasha55
    sasha55 Member Posts: 2
    Thank you so much for this input! It's really helpful. I'll let you know how it turns out. I feel much better after these responses.

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