Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.
If our community has helped you, please consider making a contribution to support this website. Thanks!

Steam Boiler

Options
BMcGahan
BMcGahan Member Posts: 9
in Radiant Heating

Hi Everyone,

Attached is a photo of my heat exchanger. Is this 100% a leak? It had scaling but I've ever seen a water leak or steam.

1000008861.jpg

Comments

  • STEAM DOCTOR
    STEAM DOCTOR Member Posts: 2,604

    Fill the boiler to the top. You will know instantly if the heat exchanger/boiler block is leaking. As you can imagine, those pictures don't look kosher.

    mattmia2
  • ethicalpaul
    ethicalpaul Member Posts: 8,870

    How often and how much do you have to add water to this boiler? It sure looks like a leak to me.

    NJ Steam Homeowner.
    See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el

    EBEBRATT-Edmattmia2Intplm.
  • BMcGahan
    BMcGahan Member Posts: 9

    The automatic filler as far as I can tell adds water a couple times a week.

    ethicalpaulmattmia2
  • ethicalpaul
    ethicalpaul Member Posts: 8,870

    Yeah that is definitely leaking somewhere. Ideally you'd want it to fill less than once per month during winter. it's not even winter yet.

    (Actually ideally you'd fill it manually and not let it get low enough for the automatic feeder to kick in. This lets you have a better idea of water usage)

    NJ Steam Homeowner.
    See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el

  • BMcGahan
    BMcGahan Member Posts: 9

    I had one company say it's fine to run and another say its not safe. I still haven't seen any water leakage or an indicator that steam is hitting the cover.

  • ethicalpaul
    ethicalpaul Member Posts: 8,870

    The water leakage is evidenced by all that crusty white limescale deposit. I can't speak to how safe or unsafe it is, but I don't like stuff falling onto my burner tubes.

    NJ Steam Homeowner.
    See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 16,896

    Looks like it may be leaking between the sections. It possibly could be fixed but probably isn't worth it on a boiler that small.

    ethicalpaul

Categories