Rust in my boiler
I have a Burnham gas-fired boiler. The water level is at the 3/4 mark, but it’s all rusty and gross! I would presume that the problem is oxidation – the new water entering the system is reacting with the pipes. Could I have a constant influx of new water, thus indicating a leak? Does the…
I have a Burnham gas-fired boiler. The water level is at the 3/4 mark, but it’s all rusty and gross! I would presume that the problem is oxidation – the new water entering the system is reacting with the pipes. Could I have a constant influx of new water, thus indicating a leak? Does the rust make the system less efficient? How can I reduce the amount of rust or get rid of it completely? Someone had mentioned Hercules boiler cleaner. Anyone tried it?
Thanks for your comments.
I have already had a boiler service this year with a company highly recommended by everyone on this board. Is there nothing I can do on my own, save blowing $150 on an additional service call?
Dirty water means the boiler needs to be flushed and /or skimmed. In our area of excellent water quality, only in extreme case will a residential boiler need chemical treatment of any kind.
Surface rust also forms as a byproduct of inadequate venting.
As far as draining the water out periodically? I’m not a fan. Fresh water contains lots of oxygen which is corrosive to the boiler. Older water that’s been boiled several times is MUCH better for your boiler than fresh water. Nobody will dispute that.
I realize I’m biased and I never want to be accused of trying to sell anything here, but it really is worth the price of a service call or maintenance contract to have it done right once a year by a professional.
sometimes the rust causes “surging”, which means the steam is too wet, which causes the framiliar banging noise you hear about. If that’s the case, you can try a cleaner like Hercules. If it’s just dirty, but no banging, I’d suggest just flushing it a few times. Drain all the water out, fill it back, repeat 3x. Then you should do that every month or so during the winter. T
I assume that you mean that there are various exposed metal parts on the furnace that have rusted. This has nothing to do with the copper pipes that the heated water runs through which can not rust. Rust on your furnace just means that at some point there was a leak that dripped down on to the furnace and rusted these parts. This should not really effect the performance of the furnace but it is probably an old furnace and not nearly as effecient as new furnaces.