Underground Steam Pipe

Underground Steam Pipe? More commonly referred to as steam return pipes that are found in all homes with steam heating systems. In most cases, they're made of black steel pipe and when buried underground eventually leak.

I got the call from a long-time customer who was renovating a walk-in apartment in her home which was unoccupied for years. As her handyman was prepping the walls for paint, he discovered excessive dampness at the front right living room wall.

Thinking it was moisture leaching in from the exterior brick, he probed further and discovered steam percolating up from the ground. That's when she called me to investigate further. Sure enough, it turned out to be an underground steam pipe (return pipe) that was rotted and leaking.

Check out the process of abandoning the leaking return pipe and installing a new copper return pipe from the front wall back and into the boiler room. A very common repair for the homes in my service area of Brooklyn, N.Y. Enjoy!

Happy Plumbing,
Bob.

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Milwaukee Tools Used on this Job:

Milwaukee 2719-20 M18 FUEL Hackzall (Bare Tool), Red, Black,

Milwaukee 2626-20 M18 18V Lithium-Ion Cordless 18,000 OPM Orbiting Multi-Tool with Woodcutting Blades and Sanding Pad with Sheets Included (Battery Not Included, Power Tool Only)

Milwaukee Electric Tools MLW2504-20 M12 Fuel 1/2" Hammer Drill (Bare)

Blades:

Imperial Blades IBOAT360-2 One Fit 1-3/8" Carbide Extreme Storm Titanium Metal Blade, 2PC, Multi

Lenox Tools Metal Cutting Reciprocating Saw Blade with Power Blast Technology, Bi-Metal, 6-inch, 24 TPI, 5/PK (20568624R)

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Sealing Compounds:

Block(TM) - Screw Cap With Brush

2 Pack- Milrose 70885 Blue Monster 1/2" x 1429' Blue Teflon Tape

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[michaelfreeman]

So thrilled that I have found a steam system expert on the youtube with good production quality videos.😎

[tselinsky]

I'm from Long Island and it's great to see someone who is such a specialist on steam. So many houses in our area and our neighbors n NYC are steam, and it's a lost art!

[boby]

I'm surprised that galvanic corrosion didn't put her out of business years ago. Sometimes I'm just amazed when black iron pipe comes in contact with the ground and last for decades, other times it may last 2 years and look like a ball of rust.

[jeffmomoney]

I’m from NY but live in FL and basically raised in FL plumbing, went to NY to visit family and worked on their prehistoric plumbing what a mission it was ... All those old building are in need for repipes $$$

[scottk]

Nice job Bob, I would install a Hydrolevel VXT water feeder that way the gallons used will be recorded and the usage can be monitored if the rear buried return should leak. Just a thought.

[Bob.W.]

Wow. Tough stuff to do. Thx. I won't use an auto water feeder. Overfills.

[medicalnegligence]

Happy Thankgiving to you and yours. Keep the excellent videos coming.

[williamdyckman]

Bob, nice neat work on that repair !!

[salvatoreruffo]

Bob the love all your videos. Thank you again. Was that a dielectric union used that went into the cooper piping??

[bobvines]

Bob, good thing that you're not a _big_ guy! Seeing videos like yours lets folks see the 'real world" instead of what textbooks show.

[edwier]

Bob, Two Pipe Steam, have you any video on steam trap diagnosis?

[VACcine]

New to the channel really like the videos ☺️

[StoneysWorkshop]

I put a probe into the ground one time and it was over 200F because of a leaking steam pipe lol

[sambotoo]

Hi BOB
I talked to you before about my leaking boiler, and you gave me the great advise and now it work very good .
I did the same thing for the galvanized 1” return pipe, it was under the tile buried in the cement, for 20 years, it was seeping water in many corroded spots, when I changed last July, I inserted the 1” copper pipe in a 11/2 “ PVC pipe, like a sleeve with the length of 15 feet and back in the cement to install the tiles back on top . Is it ok to do that ( copper pipe in a PVC, sleeve underground ), or I will have another problem soon .THANK YOU

[josephquattrocchi]

Hey Bob love the channel and your content. I am new to steam heating but I understand from other videos that pipe pitch is crucial with 1 pipe steam. I know the A dimension is super important because of the pressure drop of the circuit leaves little pressure to get the condensate back into the boiler. Correct me if I am wrong here, that is the height from the dry return down to the wet return. Vertical drop stacks water and the weight makes the differential to flow inside the boiler... How does the system flow condensate back into the boiler (mainly by the head pressure from your A dimension) when your new pipe is higher than the original. One point it looked like the wet return pitched up above that 5/8 connector feed line. Does pitch not matter with this portion of the circuit because we have no steam, and all that stacked water in the pipe ?

what did you use to i
insulate the black iron pipe from the copper pipe to prevent galvanic action?