Most of the radiators in a house leaking

[AGHHHH]

Almost every radiator/pipe in this house has leaked in a short space of time, we've not long moved in.

One radiator leaked from the thermostat which was resolved by being tightened, then it leaked in another room, then in the kitchen. Recently my bedroom radiator "split" (?) and is being replaced entirely.

Now the kitchen radiator is both leaking from the pipe running underneath it and not heating up properly, most of it is cold.

Our upstairs shower leaks into the room below and they were aware as they had already patched up the ceiling before we moved in, obviously a botched job as it started happening again. This time they replaced the flooring in the bathroom but it didn't fixed the leak. So I think it's the pipes.

The agency's plumber is coming to replace the radiator and I've told them the repair job in the bathroom didn't work so they're "looking into it", but they've been told about leaks numerous times and nothing has changed...

Could it be a sign of anything overall with the plumbing system? So many leaks!

Thanks in advance.

Multiple leaks, and splitting radiators, are likely to be due to old steel radiators rusting from the inside. Steel + Water + Air + Time causes it. If looked after, there should be no air mixed with the water, it usually happens if there is a leak and fresh oxygenated water keeps being added. There are chemical corrosion inhibitors but these will be washed away if the water keeps being topped up, and will be overwhelmed if there is more oxygen than they can neutralise.

If radiators are splitting at the seams they have probably rusted enough that they do not have enough strength to resist the pressure of a modern sealed boiler system.

I gather this is a rented home. You won't be able to do a cheap DIY repair. quite likely it will need new radiators throughout, and there may still be a leak or other cause of the corrosion.

I suppose you could put bowls under any drips.

You need to notify the landlord or managing agents in writing so they don't pretend they didn't know, or that it was caused by you.

Does the boiler have a pressure gauge? Does it keep dropping? What is the cold pressure, and the hot pressure?

Thanks for your reply. It is a rented place and have emails for pretty much everything. It's really frustrating having to deal with a new problem every week.

Does the boiler have a pressure gauge? Does it keep dropping? What is the cold pressure, and the hot pressure?

Yeah, we need to top it up far too frequently. I'm not sure about the hot and cold pressure, there is one gauge which is currently on 1.5, as I know any higher than this can cause problems

topping up is leaks but you can't tell if it is just the ones you have seen, or something hidden, like a leak under a floorboard. There is, or was, probably an old long-term leak that led to the rust. Running correctly, I've seen 40-year-old radiators that aren't rusty or leaking.

If the pressure ever goes, say 1bar cold and 2bar hot, or 1.5 cold and 3.0 hot, that indicates an additional, different problem.