Leak under boiler - please help!

[tspage]

Hi folks.

Im new to this group. I know nothing about boilers or plumming (recent home owner) and have had a search through this group already to see if the topic has been covered - some of the jargon has thrown me a bit! I'd be very grateful for any advice!

Yesterday I noticed my boiler had an error code on the display telling me to increase the water inlet (the pressure had dropped below 1.0). i opened the tap a bit more and went on my merry way. When I woke up this morning, there was water dripping out of a small valve (some kind of pressure release valve?) at the bottom of the boiler and I noticed the pressure guage was fluctuating betweem 3.0 and 4.0, im guessing that's not good.

Now when I open/close the the inlet tap, it seems to have no effect on the pressure. Can anyone offer any advice please?

Thanks in advance

Tom

[Grunff]

Do you mean you opened the filling loop valve and left it open? Could you define "the tap" and "a bit more"? Photos are always good.

Your guess is correct.

[tspage]

hi.

What I meant by opening the tap was the actual 'Water inlet valve'. When I read the instructions in the manaul, it said to increase the water inlet slightly and the turnoff/on the boiler to reset it.

I have just had another look at the boiler and drained the valve at the bottom that was initially leaking this morning. I have managed to drain the pressure back down to 1.0, but again, when i open/close the water inlet valve it doesnt seem to have any effect on the pressure gauge! Any ideas?

thanks for your help.

(it's an Arist> [e-mail] wrote:

the filling loop valve and left it open? Could

[The Natural Philosopher]

It means you have pressurised the boiler to beyond the safety valve point..1-1.5 bar is more suitable than 3-4 :-)

Bleed a radiator a bit to get the pressure down to 1.5bar.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Ah. You open the filling valve, until the gauge reads 1.5 or so, then close it.

Release pressure to get it down by bleeding a radiator.

[tspage]

Thanks for your response.

So if i have understood you correctly, what I should have done to relieve the pressure was drain by bleeding a radiator, not by opening the valve at the bottom? oops. Do I still need to bleed the radiator?

The pressure is now rema> Grunff wrote:

the filling valve, until the gauge reads 1.5 or so, then

[Andrew Gabriel]

You open the valve to raise the pressure, and you stand there watching the pressure guage, and turn it off when it's up to pressure. You never leave it turned on. There should be a flexible filling loop which you remove when you aren't topping up the system, so the heating system can't force dirty water and inibitor chemicals back into your clean water supply.

Your actions overnight have probably flushed most of the corrosion inhibitor out of the system, so that will need replacing now. You may also have flushed crud into the pressure relief valve which might cause it to leak even when pressure isn't too high.

[John Rumm]

Have a read of Ed's sealed system FAQ document - that will give you some background on the jargon and also how systems like yours work.

Yesterday I noticed my boiler had an error code on the display telling

This phrase "turned on a bit more" worries me a little! ;-)

Are we are talking about the "filling loop" (this is usually a small valve or tap on the rising cold water main that is then connected to the boilers heating circuit by a short flexible braided hose)?

If so then this tap should under normal circumstances always be turned off, you only ever turn it on to refil or top up the system pressure, and then once the desired pressure is reached you turn it off again.

If you leave the tap turned on, then the pressure will continue rising until the CH circuit either reaches the same pressure as your cold mains supply, or you exceed the threshold set on the safety release valve (which hopefully exits through the wall outside somewhere).

Depends a bit on exactly what you did inthe first place.

[tspage]

Hi John

I have left the filling loop closed, what I meant to say was that when I open, I now cant seem to increase the pressure again if I need to, where as before this whole problem occured, i was able to.

Thanks very much for all your helpful comments everyone... it's been a boiler baptism of fire if nothing else.

Regards, Tom

document - that will give you some

phrase "turned on a bit more" worries me a little! ;-)

what you did inthe first place.

[John Rumm]

(folks prefer it if you don't top post in this group)

When you open the tap, do you hear water flow?

If so then that would suggest water is being let out elsewhere - the pressure release valve would be a prime candidate.

What sort of tap is it? (some, like gate valves (tap like things with a circular red handle) have a habit of breaking internally and ceasing to work).

[tspage]

As you look at the boiler, it's a small black catch that can be rotated clockwise/anticlockwise (no more than 90 degrees) that sits just under the boiler casing - left of centre. When I turn it, I am not able to hear any water flow anymore.

It's all very confusing. As I mentioned above, the hot water and central heating is working fine across all components (shower, taps, all radiators etc) yet there is no fluctuation in pressure when the boiler is being used. I remember noticing the pressure increasing / decreasing as the boiler functions just after it was installed a few months ago.

cheers.

tap, do you hear water flow?

[John Rumm]

Sounds like a quarter turn ball valve, which is what is often used for a filling loop. These are generally very reliable, so it is unlikely to be the cause of the problem.

Is it attached to a braided hose? If so you can usually unscrew this at moth ends. If you disconnect one end and turn the tap *a little* you should see water come out. If it does then tap is ok. The place where it connects to the heating system should have a double check valve (looks a bit like the tap base, but without the knob). This should be set to allow water into the system but not to return.

It could be you have got some dislodged crud in the pressure guage - hence that is not showing the variation. The pressure ought to rise a little as the system heats (the water in it expands).

[The Natural Philosopher]

If you have a drain anywhere its as good a way to relieve *pressure*..I generally use a radiator tho, because the reason for pressure loss is usaully that water has turned into gas by chemical action, and its the gas that needs removing..I have tow rads that are classic 'gas traps' these get bled every time I repressurise

the filling valve, until the gauge reads 1.5 or so, then

[Andrew Gabriel]

The main reason for not using the pressure relief valve is that it's very susceptable to getting any debris in the water caught between the sealing surfaces, which will then cause it to weep.