Boiler leak

Plumbing Forums

Help Support Plumbing Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Vista92

Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2018
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
Location
56361
My boiler loses pressure and I have to add water weekly to keep it up but I dont see any signs of leaks in ceillings or on pipes but I did notice this by the boiler. Could it be a slow leak through that fitting and the hot boiler evaporates it and also how often are you supposed to add water to a boiler?
 

Attachments

  • 20190429_190722.jpg
    20190429_190722.jpg
    1.5 MB · Views: 17
  • 20190429_190714.jpg
    20190429_190714.jpg
    1.4 MB · Views: 16
You're not supposed to add water to a boiler unless it's a steam boiler which yours is not and besides any hydronic boiler should have an automatic feeder on it take more pictures of your boiler and it set up
 
I dont have an auto feed becuase if they would ever fail or the relief valve fails my house would flood since I dont have a drain in basement plus my friend said that i shouldn't have to add much water if any and that. He said he'd flush the system every year and just forget about it until he flushes it again. When the boiler was first installed that fitting leaked but visibly stopped after a little bit so my plumber said it looked fine. Is it possible that's still leaking a little bit and is there a way to find that out
 

Attachments

  • 20181021_204019.jpg
    20181021_204019.jpg
    1.4 MB · Views: 15
  • 20181123_185019.jpg
    20181123_185019.jpg
    1.8 MB · Views: 18
my recommendation

remove/discard the malleable coupling and replace with a dielectric union
Install an auto fill valve and a condensate pump


die_union_001.png

note.. if the boiler needs water, it has a leak, or has substantial air in system
that is being bled off by the auto vent, when that happens the auto fill should replace the air with water



condensate_pump.png
 
Last edited:
Also do not let your buddy flush the system out yearly you should never flush out a hydronic boiler introducing new water into the boiler like that is bad yeah I got a hot word
 
Why is it bad and by malleable coupling you mean the one I posted a pic of in first post
 
Why is it bad and by malleable coupling you mean the one I posted a pic of in first post


dissimilar metals cause a condition called electrolysis
which is a $.75 word that means it rusts.
at the connection, The rusting is the cause of the leaking

A dielectric union separates the 2 metals by the use of a plastic sleeve and rubber gasket
stopping the electrolysis
It is in our plumbing code that we do not join the different type pipes in the manor that you have
 
It appears that this boiler is serving one zone, which means that there is not a lot of piping. If the volume of water in the system is small, then it doesn't take as much water to change the pressure as a larger system. You don't indicate how you are determining when and how much water to add. Should we assume that you are watching a pressure/temperature gauge ("tridicator") on the boiler? what pressure range ? (should be 12-15 psi when cold)

I suspect that the expansion tank has failed. When a small amount of water leaks out, the pressure would drop much quicker when the expansion tank is water logged. Tap on the tank. The end attached to the boiler piping should sound dull and the opposite end should sound bright (hollow). If it is dull all over, it needs to be replaced.

In my experience, all of the boiler pressure feed regulators that I have replaced had failed in the closed position (no longer maintaining minimum boiler pressure. I have never heard of a feed regulator failing in the fully open position. What if you don't keep up with feeding water to the boiler and the pressure drops to zero? The boiler could start making steam, which can be dangerous. (You should be replacing the boiler relief valve about every 6-8 years.)
Frodo is right about the dielectric union. Copper in contact with iron creates galvanic corrosion. I don't see the need for a condensate pump. This is clearly a non-condensing boiler.

Adding water to the boiler system, especially if flushing the entire system, introduces more minerals and dissolved oxygen, which increase corrosion inside the system. Do not flush the system unless there is a specific need. If you were getting a lot of corrosion products when you have flushed, you need to pay attention to the quality of the feed water.
 
I don't see the need for a condensate pump. This is clearly a non-condensing boiler.

The relief valve requires a drain, The op indicated the boiler is in a basement below ground level
code requires a floor drain into sump pump pit The cheapest way out is the condensate pump i have posted
since a relief valve drain can not run uphill
 
The relief valve is good becuase the boiler was just installed the end of last year from a 50 year old propane boiler to a 15 year old natural gas boiler. i dont have any zones yet but the water quality is pretty good and also run it through a water softener. The expansion tank and relief valve are new but can still be bad so ill test that. I have no underground pipe like one user asked and i add water once a week. Ill add a feed regulator after the leak is taken care of. So i put the union anywhere the copper attaches to boiler and iron to iron is ok
 
The relief valve requires a drain, The op indicated the boiler is in a basement below ground level
code requires a floor drain into sump pump pit The cheapest way out is the condensate pump i have posted
since a relief valve drain can not run uphill
A condensate pump cannot keep up with a relief valve that has lifted.
 
The relief valve requires a drain, The op indicated the boiler is in a basement below ground level
code requires a floor drain into sump pump pit The cheapest way out is the condensate pump i have posted
since a relief valve drain can not run uphill
Thats correct i do planning on adding one within the next few years since they added a drain pipe by the steps for the downstairs bathroom indicated by new cement, surprising they didn't add a drain then lol
 
The relief valve is good becuase the boiler was just installed the end of last year from a 50 year old propane boiler to a 15 year old natural gas boiler. i dont have any zones yet but the water quality is pretty good and also run it through a water softener. The expansion tank and relief valve are new but can still be bad so ill test that. I have no underground pipe like one user asked and i add water once a week. Ill add a feed regulator after the leak is taken care of. So i put the union anywhere the copper attaches to boiler and iron to iron is ok
The boiler is a very old, discontinued model and the writing on the door states that it was installed in 2000, so I assumed that everything was old.
If you don't have any zones yet, what is the boiler heating? How often does it run? Is it running from a cold start or is it set to be always hot (around 180 degF)?
Dielectric union only between dissimilar metals. Yes, iron to iron is OK
 
its heating the whole upper 2 floors with part heat for the upstairs above main floor which is controlled with shutoff valve. I replaced relief valve with the boiler which was hardly used in the previous house and thats all thats old. all the pipes and valves are new. It also doesn't heat when not in use and it usually runs an average of 15 hours. i live in Minnesota which is always cold
 
looks like the iron to copper leaks. dissimilar metals. I wrap with teflon tape and paste. You should have an autofill and backflow preventer on that boiler.
 
looks like the iron to copper leaks. dissimilar metals. I wrap with teflon tape and paste. You should have an autofill and backflow preventer on that boiler.
So it does look like a small leak even though I dont see water?
 
I remember you you posted about the same issue months ago.

I have to ask what are you doing? You installed a fifteen-year-old used boiler that it has had this issue for months on end you think the fitting is leaking if you think it's leaking then replace the fitting or call a plumber that knows what they are doing you do not have an auto feed nor do you have a backflow preventer which is against code.

I'm all for helping people but this is like kicking a dead horse...
 
I remember you you posted about the same issue months ago.

I have to ask what are you doing? You installed a fifteen-year-old used boiler that it has had this issue for months on end you think the fitting is leaking if you think it's leaking then replace the fitting or call a plumber that knows what they are doing you do not have an auto feed nor do you have a backflow preventer which is against code.

I'm all for helping people but this is like kicking a dead horse...
wow i forgot all about that post but it did end up being that fitting and did replace it with a dielectric one and no more issues so now i know not to second guess myself. I dont think its a code issue in my area for the auto feed becuase even the licensed plumber i got quotes from were fine with getting rid of it.

Thanks for everyones help :)
 

Latest posts

Back
Top