Ask This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey helps locate the leak on a steam boiler that is losing water.

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A homeowner's steam boiler is losing water, but there's no sign of a leak. Richard explains the problem and offers up a solution.

The homeowner was losing water because of a hole in the actual boiler sections that causes steam to leak into the exhaust pipe undetected. Ideally, Richard says steam boilers should never have to be refilled because the water should just continue to be recirculated through the system.

Richard says the homeowner could keep the automatic water filler and the steam boiler would still work. However, that is wasting water, wasting oil to keep the boiler running and not very energy efficient.

Richard recommends installing a new heating system or a new steam boiler.

Later, in the workshop, Richard shows some other options for boiler replacement. One option is to install thermostatic radiator valves at each steam radiator. Another is to convert the steam radiators to hot water radiators by running an additional return pipe to each radiator.

To add air conditioning to the heating system, many people would remove the boiler and replace it with a forced air furnace and ductwork.

Another option for air conditioning would be to install wall mounted ductless units, like those manufactured by Mitsubishi HVAC [https://www.mitsubishipro.com/], which can also provide supplemental, or in some cases, whole house heating.

Steps for How to Diagnose Leaks in a Steam Boiler:
1. Set the thermostat at a high temperature to turn on the boiler, and leave it running during diagnosis.
2. Once the boiler has turned on, check the floor around the boiler. This would indicate a leak on the water side of the boiler.
3. Check all exposed piping, especially at the joints for a leak.
4. Check the main vent of the system to locate a leak.
5.If there are no leaks near the boiler, check the radiators in each room. Look for signs of water around the hand valve, at the connection of the steam pipe to the radiator, and at the air vent on each radiator.
6. If there are no obvious places where water is leaking, shut off the boiler and allow it to cool. When the boiler has cooled down, remove the vent pipe and inspect inside for any corrosion on the boiler itself.
7. Work with a qualified plumber or HVAC technician to repair any damaged or leaking areas.

About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.

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How to Diagnose Leaks in a Steam Boiler | Ask This Old House
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