I shut my boiler down about a week ago and now I am have brown water leaking from the bottom of it. It ran great all winter. It is a Weil McLain oil burner and it is 23 years old. Is there anything I can do or is is shot. I haven't put it back on yet, I wanted to get some advice. I know if I call my oil company they will just want to replace it.
Leaking boiler question
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Going from hot to cold, there is expansion contraction in the metal and movement. So at joints and gaskets there are sometimes leaks that seal up again when the metal goes hot and expands. That would be my first question, where exactly is it leaking from.
The WM is probably a cast iron sectional boiler, 3 or 4 sections for residential. I've heard the guys say the WM has gaskets between the sections where the Burnam or Smith uses push nips. If it is the boiler itself that is leaking, suspects would be either a cracked section or a leak at the joints between sections.
I don't know the usual repair procedure for residential. My guess would be that the labor is more expensive than the material, indicating a new boiler install for a professionally contracted job, as you indicated. Trying to repair by taking the sections apart may not be a money saver for professional labor.
If this is so, knowing this gives you your options. You would want to be sure you know where it is leaking. If it is a cracked section or between the sections, there is no guarantee you can take it apart and reassemble it without damage yourself. However, if you are sure the old boiler is scrap, there is not much additional loss in trying it with your own labor if that's what you feel like doing.
A large boiler with 14 or so sections, it would not be unusual to take it apart and change bad sections.
Someone with more experience may add something.
The WM is probably a cast iron sectional boiler, 3 or 4 sections for residential. I've heard the guys say the WM has gaskets between the sections where the Burnam or Smith uses push nips. If it is the boiler itself that is leaking, suspects would be either a cracked section or a leak at the joints between sections.
I don't know the usual repair procedure for residential. My guess would be that the labor is more expensive than the material, indicating a new boiler install for a professionally contracted job, as you indicated. Trying to repair by taking the sections apart may not be a money saver for professional labor.
If this is so, knowing this gives you your options. You would want to be sure you know where it is leaking. If it is a cracked section or between the sections, there is no guarantee you can take it apart and reassemble it without damage yourself. However, if you are sure the old boiler is scrap, there is not much additional loss in trying it with your own labor if that's what you feel like doing.
A large boiler with 14 or so sections, it would not be unusual to take it apart and change bad sections.
Someone with more experience may add something.
maple1
Minister of Fire
When my old unit got cool beyond a certain point, it would leak from the DHW coil gaskets. Fixed it myself by draining, removing the coils, and replacing the gaskets - although that was a very long day by the time I finished, the unskilled boiler guy I was at the time. I don't know about your particular boiler construction though - usually if you remove the skins or pull them back as much as you can, you can get a better idea exactly where it's leaking from. I'd say chances are though that if you heat it back up again, it would stop - but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
infinitymike
Minister of Fire
Have you always shut it down?
And this us the first time you notices a leak?
My understanding with old boilers is to never shut them down. Just lower the low limit aqua stat setting for the summer months. You'll only use a couple gallons of fuel and it is cheaper than the cost of the repairs of not letting it run for a few minutes each day.
And this us the first time you notices a leak?
My understanding with old boilers is to never shut them down. Just lower the low limit aqua stat setting for the summer months. You'll only use a couple gallons of fuel and it is cheaper than the cost of the repairs of not letting it run for a few minutes each day.
I would always shut it down in the summer when I went away for two weeks, never noticed any leaking. Now I can't even get it to fire up at all.
When I used to shut down my oil boiler it would weep slightly due to the contraction. I merely shut down the feed water and with no more pressure it eventually stopped.Now I only run it when we leave in winter for a few days. I then open the feed water valve and fire it up. No leaks.
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