Posted by todd on October 17, 2001 at 19:12:27:
In Reply to: Re: Repair or Replace Steam Boiler? posted by Tom Stanton on October 09, 2001 at 07:19:53:
In regards to your boiler. Wiel McClain recommends that no stop leak or boiler solder be used in their boilers unless okayed by the local rep. as to the leak. Yes, it will get worse but not that bad in that unless there is severe rusting or deterioration of the sealing surfaces which can be detected by a large barnacle build up at the affected area. Under most conditions it is advisable to re-gasket the affected area but usually its a good idea to re-gasket the whole boiler with new square cut o-rings. I haven't looked up the exact design but more than likely the boiler was orinally designed with these o-rings. Unfortunatly many of these boilers are not assembled correctly( i.e. silicone sealant is not installed at the port seals causing the o-rings to fail prematurely) if the boiler is less than 8 yrs. old and no large barnacle type buildups are noticed around the affected area then re-gasketing is the best option. But, do remember that this is a commercial boiler and this should only be done by a reputable contractor specializing in this type of work not to mention that the dissasembling and assembly will still have to be done if you replace the boiler. New sections can also be ordered to replace affected area. Hope this helps.