Anybody familar with Gas Boilers?

[Drano]

Keytite is my dope of choice

[eagl]

Wise old plumber told me many moons ago that Teflon tape was only supposed to make it easier to tighten down a fitting so the gasket could do its job.  The tape just makes the threads slide past each other easier so the threads don't grab before the gasket is properly compressed and mated.  If the Teflon tape is being used to "seal" a fitting, then the whole thing is fubar, either worn beyond usability or they're using the wrong fitting on one or both ends, wrong gasket, something.

Made sense to me.  I never every "seal" anything with Teflon tape.  I try to wrap the threads 1 to 2 times around with the tape, and tighten until I think the gasket is doing its job.  If it leaks, the Teflon tape should make it easy to remove everything, re-check the gasket and fittings, and re-install.

I can see how some people get confused about what the stuff is supposed to be for...  If you use enough Teflon tape to make a seal in the threads, then you probably used too much and it will actually prevent the fitting from being tightened down enough so the gasket seats properly.  This is usually blamed on "crappy Teflon tape not sealing right".  Uh... the Teflon tape doesn't say "Teflon tape thread sealant" anywhere on the package dumby...

This kind of basic mistake is why plumbers charge $300/hr and get away with it.  Because so many people make the same dumb mistakes.

[DREDIOCK]

I dont even know why anyone bothers with the tape anymore. The paste is easier and faster to use

[Nefarious]

So the followup...

Tech comes today. Removes pump, determines that pump is still operational. He then determines that the pressure regulator on the water line has become clogged with debris from when some newbie drained the lines  .

Clears pipe and regulator and lights furnace, furnace works properly. $75.

Roughly 45 minutes after I had left for work and Rosie was preparing to leave a noise is heard and she goes down stairs to check and steaming hot water is exiting the relief pipe. Had this happened later while we were both gone . Water was everywhere in just a few minutes.

Guy comes back, replaces pressure regulator. $125.

So in all, $75 for the first check, $75 for the supposed fix and $125 for the second fix. $275 is a whole heckuva lot better than $500.

Happy to have heat, but not about the price. The good thing is, I happened to get a nice little bonus the Friday before the boiler went kaput and I thought it was going to take a big chunk out of it. But it only took a little nibble <S>.

[Dragon]

 


Now you can Relax and have a Homebrew.