Radiator pin hole leak

[Road_Hog]

As per the title, one of the rads has developed a leak (very minor) in the panel which appeared overnight.

I realise that the only real solution is replacement and since it is a smal l bathroom rad, it is not a biggy. But I'd rather do it in a couple of mont hs when the weather is warmer, because of draining the whole system. Annoyi ngly, I replaced the very old rad with this one about five years ago - I su ppose I bought cheap.

Anyway, I am looking for a temporary fix for a couple of months, bearing in mind that it only appeared last night, so is minimal at the moment.

Thanks

[Andy Burns]

If you can't just turn the bathroom radiator off at both valves and wait for spring, I'd look at one of the "leak putty" products which will stick even to wet parts, it won't be pretty and if the rad has one pinhole you'll probably find others follow shortly

e.g.

[GB]

Is there enough spring in the pipes to enable changing the rad without draining down? That's assuming both valves work.

[spuorgelgoog]

self-tapping screw in the pinhole?

Owain

[Roger Mills]

Why do you need to drain the whole system to replace a single rad? If it has valves both ends, turn then both off and just drain that single rad by cracking one of the valve to rad connections. Provided the new rad is the same width, you shouldn't need to change any pipework - although you may end up with brackets in slightly different positions - requiring careful measuring to make sure that the valves are in the right place.

[c.r.baxter]

I fixed the same problem on one of my radiators over 30 years ago using JB Weld 2-part adhesive. Still leak-free today.

CRB

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You were very lucky. It's rather like penetrating rust holes on a car. The actual rust spreads for a much larger area than you can see initially.

[Andrew Mawson]

When we bought our last house (1985) funds were VERY tight. I sourced several radiators from skips when I installed central heating. A very large one in the hall sprang a leak one Christmas Eve - I removed and flushed it, and fixed the leak by brazing it. It had happened due to the sediment accumulating in it's previous home with no corrosion inhibitor. That brazed radiator was still going strong in 2008 when I sold the house - of course the system had Fernox or whatever to inhibit more corrosion.

Andrew

[Harry Bloomfield]

Road_Hog has brought this to us :

If the leak is on a flat surface of the rad, find a short course self tapper and a fibre washer to suit, then screw that into the pin hole. No need to drain, but might be worth turning both valves off first.

[Brian Gaff]

Egg? Brian

[Road_Hog]

Yes, although it is a pain, because the left valve (lockshield)is right in the corner and the bath juts out, to make access difficult.

As the radiator started to leak more when the heating came on late this afternoon, a replacement it will have to be, the luxury of waiting a couple of months is not going to happen.

I'm currently scratching my head why there is still a flow (and therefore a leak) when I have turned the lockshield as far as it will go.

[Andrew Gabriel]

No - modern radiators have nothing like the life of old ones. My parents' panel radiators are mostly almost 60 years old, and most of that time had no inhibitor. Those are all fine. The two 50 year old ones have failed, at about the same time as the 20 year old ones.

Modern radiators must have inhibitor in the system to get any life out of them - they're much thinner (and much lighter) than old ones.

[newshound]

Another +1 for putty, although there are also products which you put into the system, like the old "radseal" for car cooling systems.

You need to turn off *both* valves to prevent a leak. It may be that one or both valves are not closing properly. If you have a thermostatic valve at one end, most of these don't shut off completely without removing the head and fitting an adaptor.

[Chris Hogg]

+1 My late mother's bungalow was built in 1959/60. The CH system is a right pig's ear, with the DHW and CH systems being linked in some way, which rules out inhibitor (I never have worked out the arrangement; there's a single loft header tank, and I think the connection between the DHW and CH circuits is within the DHW tank). Despite that, there was never a problem with radiator leaks.

[Andrew Mawson]

I had a house once where the DHW and CH were linked - turned out that the previous owner had put the hot cylinder in back to front and mixed up the primary coil with the DHW !!!!

Andrew

[Dave Liquorice]

If there is enough metal left around the hole to take a self taper.

When a large radiator in the old flat developed a pinhole I rubbed down the paint work and soldered on a small bit of copper or maybe food can.

[Chris Hogg]

If soldering/brazing isn't an option, I'd try good old araldite to stick said piece of copper in place.

[Road_Hog]

I think you are right in that one of them will not shut off properly, annoying since they were fitted about five years ago. Although it is just a lockshield and a wheel valve.

[news]

I have just had the same problem with one of my daughter's radiators. I replaced this last month with a look alike one from Wickes plus a pair of adjustable radiator tails.

Now a second one has a pinhole and Wickes have increased the price by

23% so I have mig welded the one I previously took out, trouble is some of the welding is a bit porous ;-(. I think I would have managed better with TIG or gas welding.

I would have tried brazing but no longer have oxyacetylene but may borrow some.

AJH

[Andrew]

+1

And if it is a gravity non-combi system go into the loft and make sure it is not pumping over or leaking somewhere you hadn't noticed.

If it is then fresh air or oygenated water will be entering the system. This is deadly for any rad, especially modern thin ones.