Corroded fitting steam boiler

[exm]

Hi,

I have a gas steam boiler and I noticed the corrosion at the bottom. I've had a plumber come over and recommended to replace the entire piping (basically the 3 fittings shown). He estimated this to cost $600.

My questions:
- Do you agree that this needs to addressed in the suggested way?
- The money quoted seems like it's a 3-4 hour job. Does that sound accurate? $600 just seems like so much money for this.

Thank you

 

[CT18]

They all rust, i would not be concerned about that. Keep an eye on the threads going into the fittings, that's generally where they will leak from.

 

[exm]

They all rust, i would not be concerned about that. Keep an eye on the threads going into the fittings, that's generally where they will leak from.

Thanks for your response. So the brown 'goop' at the bottom is no reason for concern? How long would it take for a plumber to replace this in your opinion? Thanks.

 

[arctic bill]

Normally steam pipes will self seal over time.
btw the plumber is a crook . i would have done the job time and material for about $400

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

You said..."corrosion at the bottom", and you show a photo of some junk around a large pipe fitting.

So, first: is this an active leak? If active leak there would be some water on the floor. If not active--apparently--then I would get a wire brush and perhaps a stainless steel sponge (restaurant supply store; like extremely coarse steel wool) and clean up the fittings. THEN, over the rest of the heating season, monitor the same joint.

If it's a steam boiler in a residential environment, it's likely pretty old. Also, in many jurisdictions one needs a special "boiler license" and that's not just any old plumber or handyman. If the boiler hasn't been cleaned and inspected recently (or if you are the new owner of said dwelling) may be worth seeking out a boiler specialist to do a good PM and cleaning on it.

If there is more to this than your telling us, such as water coming from under the unit, you may have more wrong with it (such as a cracked heat exchanger) and yes, that kind of stuff can be very costly to repair.

 

[exm]

You said..."corrosion at the bottom", and you show a photo of some junk around a large pipe fitting.

So, first: is this an active leak? If active leak there would be some water on the floor. If not active--apparently--then I would get a wire brush and perhaps a stainless steel sponge (restaurant supply store; like extremely coarse steel wool) and clean up the fittings. THEN, over the rest of the heating season, monitor the same joint.

If it's a steam boiler in a residential environment, it's likely pretty old. Also, in many jurisdictions one needs a special "boiler license" and that's not just any old plumber or handyman. If the boiler hasn't been cleaned and inspected recently (or if you are the new owner of said dwelling) may be worth seeking out a boiler specialist to do a good PM and cleaning on it.

If there is more to this than your telling us, such as water coming from under the unit, you may have more wrong with it (such as a cracked heat exchanger) and yes, that kind of stuff can be very costly to repair.

Thanks for your detailed reply and I realize I might not have used the right terminology.
- Correct, it's not corrosion but the brown goop/junk which you can see at the bottom
- There's no active water leak. However, this junk seems to be slowly leaking (in other words, this wasn't here before a month ago)
- The steam boiler was serviced a few months ago, and seems to be in good condition (from what I've been told). It's about 20 years old.

I prefer to be pro-active with my heating system, so that's why I'm considering to have this 'fixed'. But if it's not necessary and the brush/sponge will take care of it, great. Thanks.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

@exm steam boilers typically operate at 215 degrees F, and with a bit of pressure; look on your gauge when operating to tell you the pressure and temperature. Well, with that heating up, and eventual cooling down when the system is off, there's a bit of thermal expansion and contraction, so I suspect that pipe dope and perhaps a bit of rust etc. is just oozing its way out with the expansion and contraction...