You find a leak in a cast iron sectional boiler. Do you replace the section?

RayWohlfarth

I had a friendly disagreement with a building owner. One of the boiler sections for his 15 year old steam boiler was leaking. I suggested a new boiler because I thought if one section is leaking, the others can't be too far behind. He chose to replace just the section. It's been my experience the boiler starts leaking again in a year or so. I replaced sections as an apprentice and it was tough work.

Just curious what you tell your customer. If you replace a section, how much longer before another leak develops?

Thanks

retiredguy

I almost never saw a residential boiler and serviced even less so my comments are for commercial and industrial boiler systems. A lot of the low pressure steam boilers my employer sold were H B Smith 350's 450's and 650's. When a section cracked you only replaced the leaking section. On this type boiler you could replace any intermediate section without moving any other section. If it were a push nipple boiler I would recommend and price both ways; the leaking section or the whole boiler. I rarely saw more than one section in boiler leak at a time unless there wee mitigating circumstances such as a boiler explosion or complete freeze up.