mixing copper and black pipe in a steam system

Taylor_4

Looking at my gutted bathroom, I noticed that a steam line terminates in a couple of elbows that are, as far as I can see, soldered copper (including some green). It strikes me that as the condensate returns from that line, it's going to drag lovely copper ions through the black pipe and eventually rot it out. Is this something I should have ripped out? I don't want to ask my plumber, he was going to clamp copper lines to steel studs before I stopped him.....

Related: I had to replace the pigtail on my steam boiler, the plumbing supply store only carries them in copper..... The water lines around the boiler are all copper and brass valves, the valves are all corroding away, I wonder why..... Is there no appreciation of galvanic reaction, or do people just shrug and figure what can you do? Is there something I can add between the water supply and the boiler to prevent galvanic reaction?

Keith_11

Clearwave electronic water conditioners are great for low flow applications. It's not the metal to metal contact that's really going to screw you, it's the water flow between the two metals. Soften the water to avoid the corrosion.

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Taylor_4

Thanks for the recommendation

It is exactly the water flow between the dissimilar metals that has me worried, especially in old houses like mine where POs put in new copper and left some of the old galvanized. I can see the brass valves being eaten away in my boiler room now. So I can't understand why some of the parts for the boiler are only available in copper, that can't be good for the boiler. At least something between the boiler and the water supply to soften the water would surely be a Good Thing.

Tom R.

Quality

Yes, and test for ph, too. Should not be acid.

Tony Conner_2

Condensate...

... is by nature, soft water. All of the hardess - if it's an issue - is left behind in the boiler. If there's so much make up water going to a little residential steam boiler that a softener is being considered, there are FAR bigger problems at hand. In any event, even with soft water make-up, the oxygen corrosion will eat the boiler alive.

If there's any concern about the copper & steel mix in steam & condensate service, get rid of the copper now, while the wall is open. I would.

chuck_6

Get rid of the copper, now

before the bathroom is finished. Copper and black iron heat and expand at different rates. Eventually the solder on the copper will crack and cause a problem. You don't want to rip out your bathroom again.

Black iron is a bit more difficult to work with than copper, but it's the only thing for steam.

Taylor_4

Thanks for the heads up.....

I could tell you about the other things the genius that put this pipe in did.....