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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET

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Aluminum home radiators versus steel wood-stove boiler - what to do?

I have a steel wood-burning stove (made by Villager, UK) with an integrated boiler, designed to provide hot water for heating a house through a radiator system. In France, our best radiators are made of cast aluminum, and they're also cheaper than good steel ones. I am told that sending the heating water through the steel stove and the aluminum radiators will result in the aluminum being "eaten". Is this true, and if so, is there anything I can do to prevent this from occurring?

Peter Gillies
Home-builder (self) - La Brée les Bains, Charente Maritime, FRANCE
2004

You just need dielectric unions; they include plastic bushings so there is no metal-to-metal contact. I would expect your plumber to be familiar with them. An alternative is to install lengths of radiator hose; but whether this can be done in accord with code and practicality, I don't know. You will not get galvanic corrosion if there is no metallic circuit.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003

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