pressure relief valve leaking oil substance

will smith_4

I'd go ahead and flush the valve out a few times. Another possible source of oil would be from the boiler, as well as from the install;if they used steel pipe, cut and threaded on site, there could have been oil in the fittings which ended up in the system.

[Deleted User]

pressure relief valve leaking oil like substance

Good Morning,

I have a peerless oil fired boiler, approx. 3 years old. I noticed this morning that an oil like substance is leaking out of the rear pressure relief valve. It didn't really smell like heating oil, but really looked like thinned out oil. There is about a cup in the pan I have there, but not sure when it started so can't give a leak rate. It is def. not water. Anyone have any ideas what that could be?

thanks, mike

Steamhead (in transit)

Is this

a hot-water or steam system?

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Maine Ken

IS it glycol?? Do you have water in your system or anti-freeze??

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[Deleted User]

its oil fired, sends hot water to an american standard air handler. I do have glycol but this is absolutly an oil like substance.

Darin(in Michigan)

no burst or glycol

can be slick like oil. Taste some oil and taste your substance and see if they are close to one another;). Chances are your expansion tank isn't absorbing the expansion of the water as the temp and resulting volume increases. What is the pressure when cold and the pressure when the unit cycles on limit(180*) The pressure shouldn't be allowed to climb above twenty pounds normally.

will smith_4

Mike-

Is it possible you have a pump overhead dripping oil onto the relief, making it seem as if it were the relief?

[Deleted User]

I have noticed the boiler temp. usually settles to about 140 before it kicjks back on. It peaks between 170 and 180. The pressure peaks between 12-15 pounds. Do you think maybe the valve simply needs to be flushed? I had it serviced in may of this year so not sure if it would build up so quick. I have a service contract so I will be calling them tomorrow.

[Deleted User]

Will, def. nothing above it. I removed the pan to smell the substance and it dripped again on the floor. I stuck a finger up there and its inside the pipe. Not even sure of the drip rate.

[Deleted User]

thanks will

Based on the response I have received, sounds like I should have it serviced tomorrow and not worry its a major issue that may puff back soon.

Glenn Harrison_2

Have you had anything done to the glycol...

since the boiler was installed. If not the antifreeze has probably depleated the corrosion inhibitors, and the glycol has turned to a dark, oily, acidic fluid which is now eating away at the inside of your system. This will cause rubber gaskets, such as the one in your relief valve, to deteriorate quickly, and start to leak. You need to have the entire system drained, including proper disposal of the anitfreeze, then the system should be flushed with a boiler cleaning chemical. Replace the relief valve, and then fill the system with new anitfreeze/water mix. Then once a year the new anitfreeze needs to be tested and the corrosion inhibitors replaced to keep the antifreeze from breaking down into an acidic mixture again.

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Jeff Lawrence_25

totally off topic

And I mean totally...

I installed a new cooling system for a customer near the end of the summer. The lady of the house called me in a major panic that there was some kind of a leak from the unit at the bottom of the forced air furnace. The 'stuff' was oily with a silicone feel and smell. She was POSITIVE that it was Freezon. I assured her that I would be there quickly.

As luck (?) would have it, there were out when I arrived, but their adult daughter was there. "Ann" showed me the stain on the concrete. It wasn't any kind of refrigerant oil, I could tell. "Ann" showed me a paper towel they had used to get up the mess and I smelled it and rubbed the liquid between my fingers. Hmmmmm.

I looked closely at the stain and picked up a can of kidney beans that was right next to the spot. I held it over the trash can and squeezed it as hard as I could. Guess what? It was the can of kidney beans.

It seems that the dog, a large lab, had picked up the can in it's mouth and bit the can. His teeth had punctured the can and the bean juice leaked out.

End of panic. "Ann" asked me how much they owed me. I told her that the look on her face paid me plenty and that she should tell her mother I charged $125. IF Mom paid it, we'd split it. Mom didn't pay, but that was fine.

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will smith_4

Make sure-

That anything that is added to the glycol solution doesn't have any sort of petroleum distillates in it! I have seen such products added to systems by very reputable chemical treament co.s with disastrous results to gaskets and seals.