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Below the water line pipe (schedule 40?)

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Dooverdixon
Dooverdixon Member Posts: 49
in THE MAIN WALL
So I'm redoing the below the water line pipe because one of the pipes rusted out and sprung a leak.  I've got all new fittings coming (cast iron steam fittings).  

Will I be ok using schedule 40 black pipe to pipe this in?  I can get schedule 80 but it's a 2 hour drive and way more expensive.

Thanks for the continued help!

Comments

  • STEVEusaPA
    STEVEusaPA Member Posts: 6,505
    You can, and probably should, use copper below the water line.

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

  • Dooverdixon
    Dooverdixon Member Posts: 49
    Copper??????   That's new ...for steam?
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 19,309
    #40 is ok. I would use #80 on commercial. I have never seen #80 on a residential job
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 26,705
    Dooverdixon said:

    Copper??????   That's new ...for steam?

    Copper below the water line is fine. No problem. In iron, Sched 40
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • KC_Jones
    KC_Jones Member Posts: 5,895
    When I replaced mine I went with copper below the water line. Huge difference in the amount of sludge I have. My wet return essentially looks like drinking water. The only crud I see in the system is in the boiler, and with water treatment, that's minimal.
    2014 Weil Mclain EG-40
    EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Boiler Control
    Boiler pictures updated 2/21/15
  • Dooverdixon
    Dooverdixon Member Posts: 49
    welll shucks.  i  mean cutting and sweating copper is WAAAY easier than blackpipe and i do have a boat load of sludge in my mud leg.  I am Redoing the whole thing, should i do it in copper??? 

    If so, Is it special copper?  i see there is cast DWV copper (much pricier).  or just regular old copper fittings?

    How do you union the blackpipe to copper?

    should i redo the whole lower section including the section returning water to the boiler?

    do they make 2" sharkbite fittings....lol this is a joke


  • KC_Jones
    KC_Jones Member Posts: 5,895
    It's up to you how you move forward with this, it's your dime. Regular copper fittings are fine.
    I joined the copper to black pipe with a threaded copper adapter and a black union. Could have done a sweat union to thread, but that was more money if I remember correctly.
    2014 Weil Mclain EG-40
    EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Boiler Control
    Boiler pictures updated 2/21/15
  • ethicalpaul
    ethicalpaul Member Posts: 8,041
    I think I've read that brass is a good intermediary between copper and iron. But if KC isn't seeing weird corrosion on his I'm sure it's fine

    NJ Steam Homeowner.
    Free NJ and remote steam advice: https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/new-jersey-steam-help/
    See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el

  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 26,705
    For what it's worth, part of Cedric's wet return system is copper, put in just as @KC_Jones said about 15 years ago -- no problems so far, anyway.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • KC_Jones
    KC_Jones Member Posts: 5,895
    ethicalpaul said:

    I think I've read that brass is a good intermediary between copper and iron. But if KC isn't seeing weird corrosion on his I'm sure it's fine

    I wouldn't argue with using brass, there is sound science there. I just didn't do it, in part, because I didn't think about it at the time.
    2014 Weil Mclain EG-40
    EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Boiler Control
    Boiler pictures updated 2/21/15
    ethicalpaul

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