I noticed steam stream blowing out the large overhead steam pipe from my old 55 yr old boiler. The radiators upstairs seem OK It heats ok, but I am afraid that the leak may get bigger. Is there a compound or wrap to remedy this that I can coat the pipe with when the radiators aren.t cranking or do I need to call a plumber to put in a new pipe connection. It is wide threaded pipe. The small leak is wetting the floor. The leak is on the thread of thr pipe about 1/2 inch away from the joint.
Paul

 

Call a plumber or a heating company and tell them what is leaking so a steam fitter can be sent.
There really isn't anything you can do with a steam leak other than a permanent fix. Location of leak is bad for a wrap around clamp. Anything like duct tape or electrical tape will not hold due to heat.

Hope this helps...

 

Turn off the heat for a few minutes. Clean up the area around the leak as good as you can. Scrape, sand, wire brush, whatever. Get some JB Weld epoxy and put a dab over the leak and cover it with a 1/4" flat steel washer (if that is big enough). Put a hose clamp around the whole arrangement. Join 2 together if one won't reach and give the epoxy an hour to cure. It's no professional repair but you are only dealing with 1 lb. of pressure and that isn't a big deal. The heat is the thing and the epoxy will withstand that. You will probably open an unimaginable can of worms if you get a contractor to price a repair. Steam requires the use of black steel pipe and it must be cut and threaded.

 

thanks I used some ingredient at HomeDepot that sealed the leak for now. It is a rubbed to combine and just smeared on. My other problem is a slowly leaking hot water valve that was just soldered in last yrr by a plumber it is not leaking at the solder seam but under the vlave. I think I might have bumped it to cause the leak. Can this be repaired without outting in a whole new one again. I can live with the small leak for now.

 

Depending on the type of valve, you can slightly tighten the packing nut under the handle. Enen if it is a ball valve, some have a nut that retains an o-ring. Just turn it enough to stop the leak. If the valve is leaking where it is assembled and it is a ball valve, you will need to remove one side to tighten it. We had a whole bunch of 1/2" ball valves that had that problem in the past year or so. We now check them all for tightness before soldering them in place.