Steel pipes in central heating system

[Killgore81]

I have been in the process of replacing my bathroom suite and installing a towel rail when I removed a section of pipe to fit the towel rail it is marked with "...steel tubing suitable for closed circuit..." it looks like 15mm and is copper coloured. Further investigation has revealed rust on several of the other rad pipes around the house between floor level and valve.
Am I looking at having to replace my pipework or can I cut back and replace the affected areas

 

[buck51]

There was some strange pipe used in the 70s in place of copper, when there was a shortage of copper,

sorry but I cant find any info for you as I cant remember the name of it.

I have heared of it many time but never came accross it myself, I think a lot of it was fitted by a company called Servowarm.

 

[JimCrow]

There was some strange pipe used in the 70s in place of copper, when there was a shortage of copper,

sorry but I cant find any info for you as I cant remember the name of it.

I have heared of it many time but never came accross it myself, I think a lot of it was fitted by a company called Servowarm.

was it Truwell.

 

[Killgore81]

Sounds like ou could both be right. Combi boiler was fitted about 4 years ago before we bought the house and has copper running to the boiler and a couple of rads but think that most is steel.
Will need to lift a few boards and have a poke about with a magnet and see where the steel starts

 

[gleaner55]

I inherited a Servowarm central heating system installed with steel pipes, when I bought a bungalow in 1983. I was told that this company had done a massive nationwide sales campaign in the '70s. It was generally OK, steel pipes connected to steel radiators - no problem. The trouble is where the steel pipes are joined to copper pipes. In my case, around the hot water tank. Where the steel pipes rotted/rusted back from where they were joined. Don't know if there was supposed to be any protection fitted against this happening. Like on boats.

 

[spraggo]

It was known as Geekal pipe and was used in the 70`s due to a shortage of copper imports from Rhodesea due to political reasons caused by the PM Ian Smith. It was supplied either painted copper colour or with a yellow plastic coating. The logic being that if steel radiators were OK for closed circuit heating then why not use steel pipe? But problems became apparent when the joints leaked and rusted the tube externally.

 

[gleaner55]

Found an interesting description from Hansard. Seems that the main problem is around jointing the pipework. So you may have problems if the fitter doing any work, was not familliar with working with steel.

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1974/oct/30/gas-central-heating-west-midlands

 

[vulcancontinental]

Found an interesting description from Hansard. Seems that the main problem is around jointing the pipework. So you may have problems if the fitter doing any work, was not familliar with working with steel.

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1974/oct/30/gas-central-heating-west-midlands[/QUOTE]

Brilliant find! I was an apprentice at the time and many private companies went bust because they fitted the Truewell pipe and the special flux and jointing was not used.

 

[gleaner55]

I guess that the final conclusion is that if your making changes to any steel pipework today, only use compression fittings.

 

[footprints]

Two kinds of steel pipe the coated stuff and stainless, the stainless is fine to reuse but don't use a pipe cutter on it the wheel will blunt after one use!
The plated stuff was rubbish no matter how carefully you fit it as soon as you cut a piece the raw steel is exposed and subject to rusting after a while it tends to pin hole as well if you have it still it's best to replace it.