Leak in Tarm Solo Plus MKII firebox

[Patti]

Hi! Need help
I have a Tarm Solo Plus MKII 140,000 btu, that developed a pinhole leak in the firebox yesterday.
It’s on the back wall (of course🙄), about an inch up from the bottom.
What do I do????
I just started looking online - one suggestion was to put a self-tapping screw with a rubber gasket in.
Has anyone done that?
If I try it, should I put something on top of it to offer heat protection? High Temp Cement? I ‘could’ put sand in at the back- but that will be a hassle putting wood in and taking ash out. Anything else that might work better than cement?
What would YOU do??
OR - ANY suggestions about other fixes??
I read something about having fireboxes relined?
Is welding an option? (MIG? Or other?)
I’m just not sure HOW that could happen though, since it is so difficult to reach the back.

I’m REALLY in a tough place… the boiler is my only source of heat (and I’m in Midwestern Ontario where we just got over 100cm (3 ft) in a storm that lasted for 3 days.
I’m also broke, 😞 and can’t afford another boiler - new or used.
And I certainly can’t afford propane. 😞

I’m fearing that you will tell me it’s not fixable😞…but ANY help, suggestions, advice, thoughts, feedback, ideas, used gasification boilers for sale cheap…..welcome!
Thanks!
Patti

 

[pettibone]

Seems like not too many options. You could try a screw, I'd get stainless, and maybe hi temp silicone then get some 1 inch fire brick and stand it up in front of the screw for a little protection. Maybe that would get you through the winter. I have the same boiler and have been thinking the same can happen to mine built in 2005, although it wasn't used for 10 years. Good luck

 

[salecker]

Find a welder to fix it properly
It is your only source of heat, fix it once

 

[Patti]

Hi! Thanks for your input!
I’m happy to see that someone else is in the same page as me- which hopefully means I’m not completely out in left field! 😂!
I had already done all the things you suggested with some minor variations! 👍
So… we put the screw in (I’m not sure if he used stainless or not). Then, put a coating of hi-temp cement around it. (I wasn’t aware they made hi-temp silicone…so I know now! Thanks! )
We then put sand in front of it, and two regular bricks (as we didn’t have any firebricks on hand, but I think I’ll pick some up because I doubt if my very old bricks will withstand the heat. You nevef know though-they are in amazing shape for their age!🤷‍♀️😊

In any blogs I read online about the cement, people said it was a one hour cure time…but the Imperial brand I used said 24 hours (and heat cured).
Well the house was down to 52° by 5:00 last night, and I didn’t want to wait another 24 hours with outside temps going so low …so…we used a heat gun, and gradually warmed it up repeatedly and let it cool.

Then started a small kindling fire in it and kept that going for a couple of hours. Then gradually added more wood each load- and at 4:00am, I was fully loading it, and the temperature was right up to max.
It was all good at that last check at 4:00am, so I’m just about to head out again now (12:00 noon) and I will be holding my breath as I open the ash door to see if it is ashes- or muck. 🤞🤞🤞
I’ll let you know!
Patti

 

[Patti]

Find a welder to fix it properly
It is your only source of heat, fix it once

Okay…I assume you are familiar with this firebox…so do you think a welder could actually even REACH it? They wouldn’t be able to hold the welding rod and torch up close like they usually do. They’d have to control both from a distance- because most people can barely get one shoulder semi inside the opening.
If it’s even possible to weld at a distance like that, I imagine there’s not many welders skilled enough to do it- and I live in a very rural place, so chances are even slimmer.
What concerns me more however is the comments I’ve read in various places online about welding fireboxes. Many people say: 1) it’s not worth it because if you have one hole, it is the beginning of the end and there will be more soon after. 🤷‍♀️ True? I don’t know. 2) the metal surrounding the hole won’t stand up to being welded, and it will just create a larger hole. 🤷‍♀️ True? 🤷‍♀️ I don’t know. 🤷‍♀️
Different boilers use different metals and different fhicknesses of metals, so maybe these people were primarily talking about other brands of boilers ??(I know the name Central Boiler came up fast & furious with all kinds of stories about leaks after 6, 7, 8 years.). But this is an OLD Tarm (built like a tank! 😂) so maybe the welding WOULD work??
Do you happen to know what the metal is on the back of the firebox and how thick it is?
What kind of welding would be done on it (ie MIG)? What would it be welded with? (What kind of material? Are there different hardnesses?
I’d just like to have SOME clue as to what I’m talking about before I start calling welders! 😂

Hopefully I’ll hear from anyone in this forum who has attempted the repair with a weld and see how it worked for them.

So far…the screw & cement are working…but who knows for how long? 🤷‍♀️ I’ll let you know!
Thanks for your input!
Patti

 

[salecker]

It would mostly depend on the person welding.
It could be welded with both stick or Mig
Both can be done at arms lenght,the fact it's on the back wall helps
It would have to be drained.
If it was me welding i would cut a bigger hole around the existing hole to see what the condition of the back wall is, then a appropriately sized patch could be made. Then the decision of welding in a patch as opposed to welding over a patch.
Do some searching for a welder, you may find an exceptional welder in your area.
I weld pretty good, but if i am pressed for time and it's important there is a exceptional welder that lives 6 miles from me that i get to do my important stuff.
He has welded the ports on my storage tanks, the front of my 950 loader back together, fixed some cracks on my 219 buncher, and built a new fifth wheel plate for my lowbed

 

[Patti]

Does he happen to live anywhere near Midwestern Ontario?? 😁
I could probably employ him for a solid year with all the welding projects I need (want!) done around here! 😂
I do know some pretty decent welders- one worked at the Bruce Nuclear Plant-but I’m always looking for good welders & diesel mechanics to fix all the equipment that manages to break down around here! (And not my fault! 😆)

Isn’t there a tool that can scan metal and gives you the thickness? I’m not talking physically measuring it with a micrometer- more like a moisture meter kind of idea, but it’s electronic.
I ‘thought’ that there was such a tool…but maybe that’s just wishful thinking …and maybe the only tool here is me! 😂)

The GOOD NEWS is that….the sheet metal screw with the cement over top, and sand and bricks in front of it, is DOING THE JOB (Thus far at least!)
👏 👏👏
👍👍👍
I hope it lasts 🤞🤞🤞
Thanks for your input about the welding though. If the screw solution doesn’t hold, welding will be my next (and final) option.
I’ll try to remember to revisit this post frequently to give updates!
Patti

 

[salecker]

Start your search for a welder now so when summer comes you can get it permanently repaired