Bugg*r*d Boiler

[NeilyG]

Now for the next instalment of our campervan saga. Two pipes at the top of our Rinnai boiler have totally burst. Reckon its not the first time its happened - looks like they've been 'repaired' before. The boiler will need removing before the pipes can be replaced. Oh dear!


:idea:

 

[n brown]

I've done these before,have you done this kind of stuff? just need some thin copper plate,i cut a bit from a household storage tank at a scrappy's

 

[oldish hippy]

oh dear me

 

[mariesnowgoose]

Well, that's not quite the end of the world - better than a rusty bum!

You can boil the kettle for hot water and it doesn't affect the gas heater if it's cold tonight.

Put it on the list to sort before next weekend. Next weekend mind, not next year, ya bugha! :lol-053:

Anyway, what's doing up there? How's your bad back?

PS - who didn't drain the system before the cold weather when I asked them to, eh eh? I dunno. Men! Pffrt!! :hammer:

 

[NeilyG]

Think we did. It was empty before I filled up this morning. Reckon we'd have had to disconnect and drain the boiler to avoid this carry on. And it looks as though a previous owner has had the same.

 

[NeilyG]

I've done these before,have you done this kind of stuff? just need some thin copper plate,i cut a bit from a household storage tank at a scrappy's

Would be interested to know more, Mr Brown. THINK I had a go at copper braising(?) a long time ago. Don't think I can get access to equipment for this job. Might ask around.

 

[Smaug]

Would be interested to know more, Mr Brown. THINK I had a go at copper braising(?) a long time ago. Don't think I can get access to equipment for this job. Might ask around.

If you get it back to clean metal (in the pic it looks like it may have been "fixed" with a resin gunge last time) then solder should do it. I'm a bit old fashioned, I was taught by my Dad, who learned in the 1930's. He'd have used a tin or copper plate, a bar of solder, a tin of flux & a petrol blowlamp.

Clean it off witth a file to shiny metal. wipe with flux & heat up with the blow lamp before applying the solder & let it run around the damage to "tin" the metal. Cut the patch & shape it then tin it in the same way. Put the etwo together & apply enough heat to just melt the solder on both bits applying a little pressure with a screwdriver or pliers while it cools. If you can, pressure test the repair to check it before filling with water.

If it leaks, mark the spot, empty the water & apply a little heat & a spot more solder to that place, if you don't ue too much heat, the extra solder will run into the gap by capillary action & fill the hole as it cools.

Insufficient heat just means that the solder won't flow or adhere to the prepared surfaces, too much heat & the solder runs away & leave voids that will leak. It doesn't matter too much if you don't get it right frst time, you can always heat it up & lift it off to try again.

If the holes are wide & the pipe swollen, it makes sense to gently tap the two sides of the gap together to minimise size of the hole. If you get it down to a mere crack then it shoild be possible to seal it just with solder but you will struggle to do that with cored electronic solder as it is too fine.

 

[n brown]

all i'd add to Smaugs method is I use acid flux,which I think cleans the joint a bit,and I would anneal the patch first,this involves heating the copper patch to red hot over a gas hob and then dropping it in water,this softens the metal and you can then form it as close as possible to the place you're soldering to,the closer they are the better the capillary action

 

[outtolunch]

I would be wary of applying too much heat because this may cause solder to run out of nearby joints if they are braised joints you will be ok. A patch to solder on might be easily made from a piece of 15mm copper pipe, if you need blowlamp flux solder and copper let me know, if work goes to plan I should be able to divert to Craghead on way home tuesday

 

[NeilyG]

Thanks for your input, guys. I think I can honestly say I get more than my money's worth being on this forum, especially this year! One thing I can say about things like this happening is that I'm always going to learn something! Once again, thanks. :bow:

 

[Smaug]

A modern narrow jet gas torch style blowlamp will allow localised heating & annealing with less risk of damage to other soldered joints, but be aware that copper is a first class conductor so heat travels quickly. If you can keep other soldered joints wet they will not melt. Heat is also accumulative, so it may spread faster when you reheat unless you really do get it back to cold.

The classic error is to cool the work location & then pick up the pipe some distance away to get a nasty burn!

EDIT: can you arrange an extra air vent or drain to ensure it drains properly next time? Otherwise you could be fixing this every year!

 

[n8rbos]

A more modern way if you don't have any equipment or know how is to tap the split closer together, cut a galavanised plate or copper plate and clean up area and rough it up and use a metal weld mix, pick these up from halfrauds or car shops etc, simple to use etc, shape the plate to the pipe then stick to it using the metal weld making sure it oozes out round all the edges.

 

[NeilyG]

can you arrange an extra air vent or drain to ensure it drains properly next time? Otherwise you could be fixing this every year!

DEFINITELY a good idea as this is clearly not the first time this has happened to these pipes. Cheers.

 

[NeilyG]

I would be wary of applying too much heat because this may cause solder to run out of nearby joints if they are braised joints you will be ok. A patch to solder on might be easily made from a piece of 15mm copper pipe, if you need blowlamp flux solder and copper let me know, if work goes to plan I should be able to divert to Craghead on way home tuesday

Hello, I've just got back from the coast and pm'd you about your kind offer. Hope we can meet up. :help: