Boiler Liquid Solids

JimP

Hello. A couple weeks ago I put some boiler liquid in a new installation. There were a lot of solids - almost like wood fibers- in it. This is something like I’ve never seen and doesn’t seem right. The solid wouldn’t go into solution. Thinking that something was wrong  I contacted Oatey and they told me this fiber is normal. I’ve used this product many times in the past but never experienced solid stuff like this. Has anyone encountered this stuff and is it OK?

EdTheHeaterMan

JimP said:

Hello. A couple weeks ago I put some boiler liquid in a new installation.

I'm thinking that you should not need a leak sealer on a new installation. If this is the way you were taught to install new equipment, then you need a new teacher!

AND

That is not what is supposed to be in that bottle. I have used that to get a leaking boiler thru the season until the warm weather allowed us to shut down the system for the proper repair. Never needed to use it for a new installation, and I soldered all my copper and used threaded iron pipe fittings and nipples. A minor leak was fixed by tightening loose fittings or re-soldering the rare leaking sweat joints.

JimP

Thanks Edward. In the past I’ve sometimes used it as a water “conditioner “. This stuff is different and horrible. I’ll never use it again. It almost seems reckless to add it to a hydronic system.

Jamie Hall

JimP said:

Thanks Edward. In the past I’ve sometimes used it as a water “conditioner “. This stuff is different and horrible. I’ll never use it again. It almost seems reckless to add it to a hydronic system.

Adding any stop leak to a boiler is at the very least reckless. If a boiler and heating system is leaking, find out why and fix it.

I might add that doing so to a vehicle is also reckless, unless you are in the middle of Nevada with no cell coverage and a blown cooling system. I've hit vehicles where the result was a new engine, new radiator, and new heating core.

GGross

That stuff is not appropriate to use as a water conditioner, some salesman must have used some sales words to sell you more of it.

mattmia2

GGross said:

That stuff is not appropriate to use as a water conditioner, some salesman must have used some sales words to sell you more of it.

If you read Oety's marketing, it kind of implies that it should be used as a conditioner, but it clearly shouldn't. Try Rhomar.

HomerJSmith

Experience is what you get when things don't go the way you planned.

PC7060

Agree with above but just for curiosity, check the expiration date. That looks like something left way past is self by date. 

JimP

I don’t think it’s old. This is a new container and graphics design. I sent these photos to Oatey’s technical services because I thought something was wrong. They asked for a batch number but there wasn’t one on the container. They then told me that this was OK and that stuff was meant to be in solution. I can only conclude that they have changed the formulation for some reason. Maybe they bought this business?
I first used this product 40 years ago. There was always some thickness that easily went into solution. I use it on old high water volume hydronic radiator systems. I thought that it wouldn’t hurt and might help if a tiny leak from a valve packing or large radiator union developed over time. If I had heater coils or something other than cast iron radiators I probably wouldn’t have used this. I trusted that it was OK but won’t use it any more.