On Thursday, May 8, 2014 8:06:58 AM UTC-4, Ray DELETETHIS wrote:
Thanks so much for your detailed reply. It's helpful and reassuring.



You mention not introducing new water. We're told we should "draw down" the

boiler once a week, which we've done for about 10 years. This involves

flushing water out for about 20 seconds.


You do have to "blow down" a steam boiler. But a hot water one? Not, in my opinion, unless I'm missing something.

I agree with being careful not to add more water than necessary. That means fixing leaks promptly and having a meter on your makeup valve. I don't see the value in recovering water after a repair, but don't drain more than necessary. You should probably get a water test occasionally to see how corrosive your water is becoming. Some areas may require a water softener and/or a sand filter in the system. Or do like the navy does and fill with distilled.