Lowering the return pipe for Burnham Gas-Fired Boiler
There is a pipe that runs from one wall to our boiler room in the center of the room along the floor. It seems to be the return pipe for our steam heating system. My contractor recommends putting the pipe underneath the slab since it will no longer be a trip hazard. I have two…
There is a pipe that runs from one wall to our boiler room in the center of the room along the floor. It seems to be the return pipe for our steam heating system. My contractor recommends putting the pipe underneath the slab since it will no longer be a trip hazard. I have two concerns: 1) that water will condense and gather in the pipe since it will be “below grade” as compared to the boiler itself, and 2) that there will be no way to rid the system of excess water, since this pipe also has a valve for this purpose.
What are your thoughts? Anyone had this problem in the past?
Wow!
Thanks for your prompt responses. And a special thanks to Master Plvmber for chiming in with your exper advice!
Not seeing the whole picture, I’ll assume this is your wet return and that the whole length of the pipe runs along the floor from the base of the risers back to the boiler.
Setting it below floor level should be fine, but you’ll need to do something to protect the pipe and make some provision for keeping the pipe clean on the inside.
Tell the installing plumber to include tees and “flush ports” at the ends.
9:44 that’s a big “If” – If it’s already below the boiler which the OP didn’t say it was. If it’s not lower than the boiler, which I bet it isn’t I think lowering it below the boiler would lead to some major back-up problems. I wanted to do something similar and was told I couldn’t for precisely this reason.
In theory, any return pipe that is lower than the boiler’s lowest point is filled with water full time (ie. it’s a “wet return”). If your pipe is currently lower than the boiler, lowering it further won’t make it any wetter. Further, if it’s filled with water, it will take years to corrode from the inside. It’s far more likely to corrode from the outside. That said, while I agree with your contractor that lowering it out of the walk pattern is a good idea, I’d probably not bury it in concrete. Instead I’d drop it into a lidded trench that’s cut into the slab to make for easier fixes should it begin to leak or corrode or whatever.
I would worry about sediment and corrosion/leaks over time as well.