Any Suggestions for Fixing a Leaking Boiler Tank on EFM S20

After many years of happy and uneventful use our EFM S20 appears to be leaking water in the location of the vertical tubes where the heatilators are installed. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to fix his issue? Does anyone know if it is possible to get another boiler tank for an S20 or whether other EFM boiler tanks will fit on this unit? Thanks.

Nrb,

Im not familiar with that waterjacket . How many leaks and how bad are they? do they leak only when cold? Hercules makes a product called boiler solder that Ive used for leaking boilers and cast radiators and it usually does the trick. Stuffs cheap it might be worth a try before doin' anything drastic. Just a thought....

Waldo

Thanks for the suggestion, it looks like it is isolated to one or 2 tubes, but if I have to take the unit apart I think I should probably replace the tank if someone has one available.

Better help will soon be posting, but for now you can look at this.
EFM Dealers/Forum Members Who Might Have Used EFM Stokers
This was found in the EFM manufacturers section.

Nrb,

The boiler solder is a chemical you mix with water and pump into your system and fixes the leak from the inside out, and it works more often than not.... I think if its a minor leak its worth a try its pretty simple.

Waldo

If the leak is just a pinhole, you might be able to limp through the winter with a stop-leak product like Waldo suggested. The real fix is a different boiler, and you will be happy to know that most of the 520 boilers use the same base dimensions.

Where are you located? Matt Direnzo services much of NEPA and should be up to the job of swapping boiler tops...he might even have a spare in the shop.

I will give the liquid solder a try, thanks for the clarification on that. I'm located next to Jim Thorpe, PA and would be happy to talk with anyone interested in supplying parts or service to repair the unit, my number is 610-554-4951.

Due to the water running out of my EFM 520 boiler in the location of the vertical heat tubes (this is an older steam boiler converted to radiant hot water), I purchased 2 16 oz. Silver King Boiler Solder powder containers to mix with hot water and add to the boiler water. I then drained down my EFM 520 about 2 inches, put hot water and each of the Silver King 16 oz. containers into a Gallon Jug shook up the mixture and poured the liquid into the top of the boiler (through an unused zone valve). After 2 hours of operation at 2 psi and normal temp the continuous stream of water turned into a drip, at that point I increased the pressure and went back to normal operation, in 36 hours the drip stopped and the boiler is repaired for now, it is holding pressure with no leaks. I am impressed that this product could fix the leak, allow normal operation and maintain system pressure. I should also point out that I have 2 Spiro Vent in line air eliminators, which are still functional and did not clog up.

NRB,

As rob mentioned now would be a good time to start looking for a new boiler. As soon as you shut the unit down the thing will start to leak again. As I understand it the plate boilers are more reliable . Bob Carpinette in Scranton has some and he is a great after the sale resource. Carpinet Plumbig and Heating.....

Duck and cover ,its cold.....

Waldo

waldo lemieux wrote:As I understand it the plate boilers are more reliable .

The plate boilers are newer but I'm not sure you can generalize about them being more reliable. If abused or not properly maintained pretty much anything can fail. I've seen tube boilers that look like new and plate boilers that are leaking. To me condition is more important than tube vs. plate.

Mike

I think the plate boilers are more tolerant of improper use and off-season storage...but they can still rot out if not properly cared for. I wouldn't pass up a nice looking tube boiler if you find one. In this particular case the boiler was previously used for steam...it wouldn't surprise me if the steam system had leaks and required make-up water on a regular basis. The oxygen in the fresh water is tough on the boiler. If the boiler was shutdown for the summer without being cleaned and treated with a corrosion inhibitor (or kept warm with a light bulb), that is even worse.

If you want long life out of a boiler....fix any system leaks immediately, you do NOT want to be adding fresh water on a regular basis. Make sure the tankless coil gasket mounting bolts are "snug". Every boiler I have installed got anti-seize on the tankless studs, and the first time it gets shutdown I check the nuts to make sure they are snug...just enough to put even pressure on the gasket (do not squish the gasket out). If you don't run the boiler through the summer, make sure it is thoroughly cleaned in the spring, sprayed down with WD40 or something similar, and put a light bulb in the firebox.

If you use the tankless coil, make sure there is no water flowing through it when the boiler is not being used...otherwise the water will cool the boiler and cause condensation in the firebox.