Boiler leak fix advice needed

kaytoo_99

Easy fix, right? What parts should I replace and what should I use to seal the connection?

Local plumbers are all backed up and the wife doesn't trust me to start tearing it apart. I'd rather leave it to a pro and have it done right, but I'm really struggling to find anyone locally willing to help. 

I'm pretty sure this would be an easy fix, but I have little experience and don't want to end up with a mess. I also don't know where to get the parts.

Dave Carpentier

Priority is shut off the boiler and the makeup water valve, drop the water level/pressure (via boiler drain, typically), protect that water spill from going into everything.
There's a union nut a foot above the leak, so repair should be reasonable (if things unscrew).

Edit- dont drain the boiler completely, just enough so the leak stops running

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes

The repair looks very straightforward. Cut the copper above the dielectric union at the top of the picture, de-thread the galvanized nipple from the brass tee. I don't like dielectric unions for various reasons, so I would thread a 6" brass nipple into the brass tee and then screw a female adapter to the nipple and then a piece of copper with a coupling to connect it to the existing copper.

The brass nipple will effectively stop any electrolysis from happening between the dissimilar metals. I would also take care of the other dielectric union that's showing corrosion.

Saying all of that, you don't really need to protect against electrolysis since you have a closed system. Electrolysis needs the presence of oxygen in order to happen and closed systems have none unless you have non-barrier tubing.

I'm presuming the leak is happening at the threads of the nipple at the brass tee. Unusual.

Looks like a Laars boiler.

What part of the country are you in?

pecmsg

From the look of the other fittings that boiler needs a lot of attention!
what’s all the White Crap on the exhaust?

hot_rod

The union behind it looks bad also. Probably need to drain down and fix a few different connections?
Fill, run a cleaner drain and fill, would be good steps.

Did it have glycol in it, by chance?

STEAM DOCTOR

Sharkbite on the pressure relief valve!!

Dave Carpentier

STEAM DOCTOR said:

Sharkbite on the pressure relief valve!!

Maybe not wise, but is it a code issue ?
But speaking of that pipe, is it actually tilted back towards the relief valve ?

hot_rod

Get a mirror and look up inside the burner compartment, looks like the boiler may have been running cold, based on the flue condition. If it is a copper tube boiler. those should be checked and cleaned at least every few years. How old is the boiler? Radiant system?

Big Ed_4

Looks like a rot hole, Mmmm

kaytoo_99

I decided to just shut it down and hopefully get a new boiler (if I can find someone willing and they can actually get one). It's 23 years old. We just moved in and this is leak № 2. Not enough available plumbers here to keep up with this "rot hole."

Thanks for the advice. I might use it as a learning project just to see if I can. If I bust it, no harm, no foul... At least I hope. Not sure if I can get that pressure gauge off. The rest I think I can handle.

I'm in Gunnison, Colorado.  

It's a laars. 

No idea what the white stuff is, but it's stained the shingles from the chimney to the gutter.

Just had the gas control valve changed and they cleaned up the exchanger..it was FOUL.... Then the leaks started. 

Karl Reynolds

Try Mesa Mechanical 970-245-3930, Morris P&H 970-901-8634, or Alpha Mechanical 970-641-4157.

hot_rod

Fred at Alpha Mechanical. There should be knowledgable hydronic guys in that neck of the woods.

kaytoo_99

Mesa will not return my calls and Fred's guy is always so busy. Usually a 3+ week wait. I don't know Morris, I will give them a call. Thank you all for the names...

I should have ran up to the Mesa mechanical truck when I saw him at the McDonald's drive-thru! I heard he's the best plumber in town. 

 I finally found time to take every thing apart tonight and find the culprit... check out this photo. 

mattmia2

is it leaking somewhere else? is there plastic tubing somewhere in the system that isn't oxygen barrier? was it leaking a fair bit at these connections for years? it shouldn't do that unless oxygen is getting in the system either from a lot of fresh water being added or non-oxygen barrier tubing.

JakeCK

O.O 

hot_rod

The best outfits are always busy. You will learn if you spend much time here that hiring an inexperienced Hydronics person most often turns a bad problem into an expensive worse problem.
Get on the list of one of the known, qualified shops list.

You need an expert diagnostic on why the pipe failed, then the proper solution, and some options.

Dave Carpentier

Could it have been a defective offshore pipe ?
Might be other pipes of the same material nearing their end of life too.

kaytoo_99

No leaks! Now just to figure out how to get the heat to fire up. Need to purge the air I'm guessing. I believe it's a cold start so no pilot. There was water everywhere, so maybe it's shot. 

pecmsg

Why galvanized? Copper or steel is more than enough. 

pecmsg

And the fitting in the rear should have been Addressed along with the exhaust condensation. 

JUGHNE

Did the gas valve or ignition module (if you have one) get wet?

Could you show us those parts from a ways back?

kaytoo_99

Everything got wet. Even a relay?/fuse on the wall 10ft away, but the tankless hot water still works on that fuse. this thing was making a sizzling sound.

kaytoo_99

pecmsg said:

Why galvanized? Copper or steel is more than enough. 

That's all they had and it was cheap enough.*shrug* I really don't know what I'm doing, so that's why. Haha.