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Cast Iron Baseboard

briand | Posted in General Discussion on May 17, 2003 02:19am

I’m in a bit of a quandry. I have cast iron baseboard heat and at the joint between two sections I have a very slow leak. Any ideas on how I can seal this short of ripping it all apart. The base board is installed directly onto the studs and the rock lath, plaster and trim were added after. Thanks in advance for your ideas

Brian
Maine

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  1. YesMaam27577 | May 17, 2003 03:06am | #1

    I wish I could remember the name of the glue that I once used on a cracked toilet tank.  The bathroom was to be completely demolished, but not until after the kitchen was done. As a result, I wanted to keep it useful for a while, but not spend much money.

    As I recall, I went to the local ACE hardware store, and looked through the glue section. Found one that could be applied, and would cure properly under water.

    As luck had it, the kitchen job got stuck with financial worries, and the repaired toilet was in use for more than a year. Never leaked once.

    Vast projects should not be founded on half vast ideas.
  2. RichMast | May 17, 2003 03:22am | #2

    i have had good luck with plumbing repair epoxy.  get it from a good plumbing supply house.  it comes in a stick which has 2 parts and you knead it together.  it will actually seal a water pipe under pressure if you hold it in place with some electrical tape while it hardens.  clean the fitting as well as possible, and practice first to make sure you can get all the way around it with a clamp of some sort before it dries.  i might consider a screw-type hose clamp to squeeze it as it dries.  you can remove it later if you put some tape or wax paper over the epoxy first.

    hope this helps.  rich.

  3. NPitz | May 17, 2003 03:49pm | #3

    Has the leak been there a long time? Sometimes slow leaks in cast iron will rust themselves shut. If not, the only way I know of to fix it is to take the baseboard off the wall and try tightening the bolt that holds the two sections together. If that fails, then you would have to take it apart.

  4. joeh | May 17, 2003 06:08pm | #4

    Marine hardware store, Sea Goin" Epoxy.........same stuff as plumbing supply has.

    If that won't do it, you're screwed.

    Joe H

    1. briand | May 18, 2003 12:47am | #5

      Thanks for the advice. I'll try epoxy first and if it doesn't work, using the appropriate cuss words, I'll take the baseboard off the wall and repair it that way.

      Brian

      1. jgjgjgnn | May 18, 2003 05:21am | #6

        Brian, I had to shorten a long run of cast iron baseboard heaters and I can tell you what I found inside the joints. The seal is accomplished by rings that are tapered on both sides. They look like the rings on top of Japanese chisels. Bolts pull the sections together, tightening them on the rings. I don't think glue on the outside will work, but never say never. Take apart, clean and maybe add some glue when reassembling??

        One thing you might do first is look for the oldest plumbing company in town and consult them. Another thing you might try is the "Wetheads" internet site(if it still exists).

  5. Wet_Head | May 18, 2003 05:50am | #7

    DO NOT wait for it to seal itself shut.  That is dangerous and hard on the rest of your system.

    Try epoxy if you are OK wondering the rest of your life if it will hold when you leave the house.

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