Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Do I have a leak in my Central Heating?

Options
  • 17-01-2008 12:22pm
    #1
    Mizu_Ger
    Registered Users Posts: 1,561 ✭✭✭


    I had noticed since the weather began getting cold (and I started turning the central heating on) that the rad's upstairs never got very hot (downstairs was fine). I bled all the rad's upstairs and rad's heated up fine. Later that day the heating started banging like crazy (coincided with the boiler turning on), so I switched off the bolier and noticed that the water pressure was down to 0.

    I know that I should have refilled the system after bleeding it (have since done this), but does the amount of air in the system mean I have a leak somewhere?

    I've been in the house 2 years and haven't touched the system since moving in, so if its a leak it must be very small. Its concerning me at the moment! I don't know if I should get a plumber in to take a look or if its nothing to worry about.


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    suitseir
    Registered Users Posts: 887 ✭✭✭suitseir


    I am not an expert but did you check to see if there was water in the small tank in the attic? I believe this is important to keep it topped up! I had a problem last year with rads not heating fully upstairs. Got back the plumber who installed the system. He replaced the pump and said that the system just about covers the amount of rads in the house - in other words, if the boiler can only service 14 rads and you had 16, the other two(farthest away from boiler) would suffer.

    I doubt you have a leak - you would know about it! Water has a habit of appearing. The reason I say that is when the same plumber did the work in the house, I had a leak in the attic from one of the pipes and before I even moved into the house, this leak showed up within hours of the work being done!!!


  • Options
    #3
    Mizu_Ger
    Registered Users Posts: 1,561 ✭✭✭Mizu_Ger


    Thanks suitseir.

    I had a leak in the heating when I got the keys of the house fromt he builders 2 years ago. There was a small hole in a pipe in the hot press. After switching on the heating for the first time I noticed a pool of water in the sitting room (directly below the hot press)! That was fixed and never had a problem until last weekend.

    I am keeping an eye on the water pressure to see if its decreasing and if so how fast.


  • Options
    #4
    JamesM
    Registered Users Posts: 1,775 ✭✭✭JamesM


    You seem to have a sealed system. Some air in a new system, with fresh water is normal. Now that you have let it out and filled the system again, it is unlikely that the pressure will drop quickly. But, monitor the pressure over the next while. The pressure will be a biit lower when the system is cold than when it is hot.
    Jim.


  • Options
    #5
    Mizu_Ger
    Registered Users Posts: 1,561 ✭✭✭Mizu_Ger


    JamesM wrote: »
    You seem to have a sealed system. Some air in a new system, with fresh water is normal. Now that you have let it out and filled the system again, it is unlikely that the pressure will drop quickly. But, monitor the pressure over the next while. The pressure will be a biit lower when the system is cold than when it is hot.
    Jim.

    Yeah, forgot to mention that its a sealed system. 'll keep an eye on the pressure. Thanks.

    BTW, is there anyway that a sealed system could lose pressure without there being a leak?


  • Options
    #6
    JamesM
    Registered Users Posts: 1,775 ✭✭✭JamesM


    Mizu_Ger wrote: »
    Yeah, forgot to mention that its a sealed system. 'll keep an eye on the pressure. Thanks.

    BTW, is there anyway that a sealed system could lose pressure without there being a leak?

    If the diaphragm in the expansion vessel had burst, water might release through the safety valve after you re-filled the system. It doesn't seem like this in your case.
    Jim.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    cubix
    Registered Users Posts: 2,161 ✭✭✭cubix


    Lads having a similar problem myself except my system is an open type( small tank in, the attic. I have a myson boiler about 7yrs old and the water pressure guage on the front of it is at 0, regard less if the boiler is on or off. The tank in the attic is full and the valve in the airing cuboard is open. I have included a picture of the pipes in the cupboard, the middle one is the one for the boiler. On the valve there is an arrow which is pointing downwards towards the boiler. Just out of view is another pipe(20mm i think) which runs back upto the attic and hangs over the two lager tanks for suppying shower/taps etc. Is it true this pipe is an over flow for the heating system, if so should it not be hanging over the small header tank for the heating.

    But anyways bar a blockage in the pipe from the small tank in the attic that feeds the boiler is there anything else that would stop it getting water. Is it a gravity feed or does there need to be pressure involed to make it work

    Thanks


Advertisement