LESLIE: Chris in Pennsylvania, you’ve got The Money Pit. What can we do for you today?
CHRIS: Well, I’m calling about a leak in a copper pipe that is coming from the boiler in the basement, up and running along the ceiling of the living-room wall and into the radiator, which sits in the bathroom. And right in the ceiling, in the living room, it’s dripping about one drop per minute. And we’re emptying the bowl.
And I had a fellow look at it. He said that there is a leak where the two pipes are connected. And it’s called “the 90.”
TOM: Right. Mm-hmm. That’s a 90-degree bend. OK.
CHRIS: Yes, which is something I did not understand. And then he said he would be back to repair it and hasn’t come back yet. The boiler is also working but we have to kind of watch the water and the pressure in it.
TOM: Do you have a hot-water system or a steam system?
CHRIS: It’s a hot-water boiler.
TOM: So it probably has an automatic-feed valve that puts more water in it if it starts to get low. Do you know if that’s the case?
CHRIS: No, I think we turn the valve in the basement and it adds water.
TOM: Well, you certainly have to have it fixed, unfortunately. To do that, they’re going to have to drain the boiler off to below where that leaking joint is. And then the plumber can go in and repair it and then refill the boiler.
So, you’re definitely going to need to have your plumber or your heating contractor come out – come back and take care of that. If this guy is ignoring you now, then you’re going to have to call somebody else. Maybe he got busy.
CHRIS: Alright. Yes, well, thank you very much.
TOM: Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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