Recently we installed in our six-unit apartment building a new furnace. The
installer was a reputable local company. The old header pipes -- those
6-inch pipes that come directly out of the boiler -- were replaced with new
copper pipes.

A local guy who is something of a busibody and claims to be an expert on all
things says this was a mistake. He said the copper pipes will begin leaking
steam within 2 years and will have to be replaced with steel.

It makes no sense to me that a company with a good reputation would install
a furnace that would fail in 2 years.

Still, I'm uneasy enough to ask if there's any remote validity to the
busibody's prediction. I guess the question is whether the industry standard
is copper or steel.

Any comments welcome.