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Radiator Repairs

jerryb
jerryb Member Posts: 113
Steve,If the pinhole is accessable i would drill and tap a 1/8 pipe plug then grind it flush,done it many times.

Comments

  • Steve Murray
    Steve Murray Member Posts: 4
    Radiator repairs

    Anyone have a good way to repair a pin hole leak in an irreplacable cast iron radiator? We have checked wwith several welding shops with no luck and have tried to find a savaged radiator to match it. It is and 8 section 5 tube 38" high 8" deep radiator. It sits in the same small room as a match for it and the building is finished. Changing the rough in would be very diffucult and destuctive but no impossable.
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,585
    how about

    J-B Weld? It's worked for a lot of people. There's an article about it in Hot Tech Topics (An Old Radiator Q&A).
    Retired and loving it.
  • Paul Pollets
    Paul Pollets Member Posts: 3,661
    Just fixed...

    a HW riser in a large gravity system with JV Weld. The repipe would have cost $5K-$7K to fix a 2" thread leak on a 4x2 tee since the main was in an impossible location. Prep is essential: we drained the system, heated, wire brushed and acetoned the area. Applied the epoxy and waited 2 days before refilling. It worked fine!! $6. solution.

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  • chris smith
    chris smith Member Posts: 39
    radiator repair

    steve
    its not easy but you can braze cast iron effectivly, an air fuel [turdo torch] torch works ok but if you have oxey acetalyne thats way better because you can focus the heat to a smaller region i do this 3-4 times a year and use j.w. harris Safety-Silv® 50N with Stay-Silv® Black Flux. its a little tricky but you can do it
    chris smith
    paradise
    porter maine

  • Mike T., Swampeast MO
    Mike T., Swampeast MO Member Posts: 6,928
    JB Weld on tube-type rads

    Have repaired quite a number with perfect success. Have tried on numerous column-type rads with zero success.

    If your rad has threaded rods running across at top and bottom it can be easily disassembled.
  • salt

    i saw a plumber using salt one time on a new boiler job on the i.p.s. fittings that leaked. and it worked. i sprinkled a little on a radiator that had a small leak at a push nipple. it hasn't leaked for least 5 years now. no disassembly or draining. bob
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  • j_4
    j_4 Member Posts: 59
    stop-leak liquid

    ever try this stuff?
  • Jeff Krawic
    Jeff Krawic Member Posts: 58
    leak

    The old timers used to "peen" any sand holes on new cast iron sections of boilers. I cannot see any reason why you cannot peen this radiator unless it is at an in-accessable location to strike the spot. We have done peening on different jobsites with sand holes or weeping in the castings without any problems. And incidentally, peening is recognized by ASTM.
  • reapair a radiator

    Steve,

    Years ago we used a product called "Black and White." You heated the surface and "melted" the product into it by rubbing it in the surface. Holds forever, works great. Unfortuately I have not seen it for years. Check with some of your "old time" suppliers and hardware stores.

    wheels
  • Paul Zind
    Paul Zind Member Posts: 3
    Radiator Repair

    I've got the same problem and apparently holes can be welded. Cronatron Welding recommended burring out the hole and heating the area before welding and letting it cool slowly. They said to use either Rod 211 or 270 for welding cast iron.

    I haven't tried it yet....

    Jeff...dumb question, what is a "peen"?

    Paul
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