Boiler won't hold pressure -help

[Fatmanbuttsam]

Regular MN but don't post very much.....

We had a new boiler and unvented cylinder fitted.....a new water main laid from the road to the house.....most of the radiators changed and where possible microbore pipe was changed over to new piping.

Since then the boiler keeps losing pressure - which when I've searched on the internet means there's a leak somewhere - but the heating engineer comes out, looks at the boiler and says there's no leak.....also one of the radiators is not heating up fully (lukewarm at the top and cold at the bottom) and I don't know if the boiler is big enough or efficient enough for the house. It is a 30klw boiler but it has been installed with 22mm piping which apparently restricts the output.

I feel like we are being fobbed off by the engineer (who hasn't registered the boiler or sorted out a safety certificate despite being asked). Also we smell gas everytime we go outside and are told this is not abnormal.

I am hoping someone can give me some advice on what I should be chasing the heating company to do now

Thanks in advance

Could there be an external leak? That was the cause of our pressure issues.

I guess I could turn off the stopcock and see if the water meter still clicks over...that would show if there was a leak between the house and the road no?

I think so. Worth a try. We could actually hear water trickling under the path.

That will probably be a job for the morning then....I can do before leaving for work and check when I get in.

Am hoping PigletJohn will have an opinion on the size of the pipework leading from the boiler to the radiators and the cylinder.

If the boiler has not been registered, have a look at the gas safe website and make a complaint. It is now the installer's responsibility. Do that today.

If you keep having to top it up then of course there is a leak. However it need not be in the boiler, it could be on any part of the pipework. It will be a leak on the radiator circuit or the cylinder circuit. It will not be on tbe supply pipe from tbe water main as this does not affect the pressure shown on the boiler gauge.

A leaking radiator will show wet or stains usually on the bottom seam or round the valves. If you can't see it it might be under the ground floor.

Also look at the pressure relief pipe that usually goes through the wall directly behind the boiler, and is turned back so it squirts or drips onto the wall leaving a wet patch. The white cylinder will also have one though it might discharge into a dish next to the cylinder.

22mm pipe should be adequate, though there might be undersized stopcock or service valves constricting the flow.

Observe the pressure gauge. It goes up when the radiators are all hot, and goes down when they are all cold. What is the highest and lowest reading?

A smell of gas is not normal. Phone your gas supplier who will check for leaks. However they might cut you off until it is repaired at your expense.

I suppose you've paid the installer?

No, thankfully we have withheld the final payment.

The heating was part of a build project and there is a reasonable sum outstanding to the lead builder who selected the various sub-contractors.

We have checked for leaks ourselves but there are no obvious ones on the top or middle floors - the ground flood doesn't show any wet areas but the next step is to start pulling up carpets and seeing if we can spot anything. The heating engineer is registered with gas safe - we did check that. I have arranged with another heating engineer for an inspection and report to be carried out today and they have warned me that if it isn't safe they will cut the gas off.

The pressure relief is one of the areas I think is wrong/unsafe - they have run the relief pipe into the system rather than having it empty to a visible spot outside.....having read your earlier posts to other MNs I queried this but I am getting the feeling that I am being fobbed off because I am female and when I question further the builders behaviour becomes more verbally aggressive. There is a trust issue for me now as well because we found out that they installed a cheaper own brand unvented cylinder rather that the branded one that was named in the quote ....