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PJH

PJH
PJH Member Posts: 1
Ran into a job in Dennis, MA - Heatway the dual tube feed and return type, run ontop of sub floor, which is covered with a layer of cement then tile. Connections to the copper feeds and returns show leaking has been going on and I was asked to fix it.

This system was installed with an indirect domestic hot water heater and NO tempering device for the radiant tubing. As you can imagine there is discolor to the feed side, seems brittle and not something I really want to touch. My question is this: Can I reasonablly use a boiler leak sealant (internal) to stop this leaking, therefor not having to touch this brittle tubing? I fully intend to install a tempering valve on the heating side.

Comments

  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
    Ten Foot Poles:

    I wouldn't touch that tubing with YOUR ten foot pole. Unless I'm wrong, that tube is older than dirt. They always start to leak at the connections. When was it installed?

    In 1999, I looked at a house in the Punkhorn in Brewster. The house was awesome. But I noticed a big ceiling repair in the kitchen. No one seemed to know anything about it. I went down in the cellar. It looked like the engine room of a ship. Really nice. Belonged on The Wall Of Fame on HVAC-Talk. Miles of orange spaghetti tube with massive leaks on the spring clamps. No one knew anything about it. I did. And I built a new house. No orange tube either.
  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,561
    The Damage...

    It sounds like the damage has been done. I don't think you can repair it with sealant. It might work as a temporary "band aid". It may clog your system and create other problems.

    The high temp in your system is the biggest enemy of the orange tubing. I pulled 20 year old entran 2 out of a remodel this spring. It looked brand new. It never saw temps over 130 degrees.

    Be careful, I can hear it now "it was hardly leaking before you got here".

    Carl
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
This discussion has been closed.