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Piglet John - other plumbers - we have a leak

2 replies

Loueytb3 · 12/02/2019 10:14

Moved into current house 6 months ago. Had building work done before we moved in and when they started there was no pressure in the system. They refilled it and checked for leaks and didn't find any. The heating/hot water wasn't used much until we moved in (June) and then it wasn't obvious that there was a problem until we started to use the heating in October. It loses approx 0.2bar in 2-3 days. We can top it up but I understand that it's not good to keep doing that.

We've had a plumber to check the boiler (only 2 yrs old) and he has been in the loft to check for leaks and all the other obvious places. Nothing. He put something into the system in case there was a small leak to block it but that just succeeded in blocking the pump.

New plumber cleaned out the pump which has made it much the heating more efficient but the pressure is still going. He has used an infra red camera on the floor downstairs to see if he can see an obvious leak but nothing definite is showing up. It's a big house, lots of pipes and some in the walls / in concrete floor. Is there any way to detect a leak that won't involve digging up the whole house?

Plumber has suggested getting the insurers involved but I thought i would see if anyone on here as other suggestions before I do.

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 12/02/2019 10:57

the idea that it's a pipe in the floor is a very fair one, especially if the pipes are buried in concrete. in most other cases, a leaking pipe or radiator can be detected because there will be a damp patch under or around it, sometimes on the ceiling of the room below. The infra-red heat camera can be very good for looking at a leak in a concrete floor.

It's possible to isolate sections of the heating section by putting isolation valves on the pipes leading to them, and seeing which section(s) lose pressure. I'd be inclined to try that and then just repipe that whole section rather than tinker around trying to find the worst bit. Often if one bit of pipe is leaking, all the other pipes of similar age and material, installed by the same person with the same techniques, will also be suspect. Unprotected metal pipes in a concrete floor are quite a problem. Renewing the piping may be quicker and less costly than a long (possibly fruitless) search.

if you are lucky the leaking pipe will be under a wooden floor and a hatch can be saw out for access. Some people resist that if they think their tiled or laminated floor is more important than finding the leak.

If a leak is on a hot pipe, such as on a boiler or pump, the leaking water may evaporate so quickly that you don't see a wet patch. however there will be a noticable mark, usually green or white, from copper salts and limescale.

You say the leak was not noticable until you started using the heating, so I'd suspect a metal radiator pipe that is moving with heat-related expansion and contraction.

Leak sealant additives are a bit of a bodge and won't help with a joint that is moving. Your new plumber sound to be better.

Your insurance will help with damage caused by escape of water, but I think not with tracing and repairing the leak.

Try bleeding a bit of water out of a radiator and familiarising yourself with the smell. Also try wetting a bit of old plaster, dusty concrete, and old wood. With practice you can often smell a leak.

parkview094 · 12/02/2019 11:00

I had a very similar problem. Constant slow pressure loss that I could never find the leak.

The system should have two pressure relief valves (one for the heating and one for the hot water) which connect to a copper pipe externally as an emergency drain. Is there any evidence that there is water leaking out through there? Do you know whether the plumbers checked that? The same part of the system will often have 1 or 2 tundish's associated with it (google them) that might allow you to see any evidence of either of the pressure relief valves letting by. If you have 1/2, is there any evidence of water dripping through them, either currently or historically?

Did the plumbers check the pressure inside your expansion vessel? (Red cylinder by the boiler)?

The majority of the problem with my system was caused by a faulty expansion vessel.

The remainder of the problem I tracked down to a very slow leak on one of the radiator valves. Is there any evidence of 'green copper staining' on any of the pipework to your radiators, even if there is no visible leak?

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