Nickfromwales Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 Losing .4 over 2 months is not a huge leak. If you have a magnetic filter then try the Fernox or Semtinel leak sealer products as that will end your turmoil in one day. Likelihood is that it’s an evaporation leak; eg when the system heats up a joint / other weeps a timely amount but it’s hot so it evaporates and never manifests as a visible drip. Real pita to find those types of leaks as they could be anywhere. Leak sealer is the way forward here, as it’ll seek and seal regardless of where. If no mag filter, maybe add to a towel radiator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simba_ali Posted February 15, 2021 Author Share Posted February 15, 2021 14 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said: Losing .4 over 2 months is not a huge leak. If you have a magnetic filter then try the Fernox or Semtinel leak sealer products as that will end your turmoil in one day. Likelihood is that it’s an evaporation leak; eg when the system heats up a joint / other weeps a timely amount but it’s hot so it evaporates and never manifests as a visible drip. Real pita to find those types of leaks as they could be anywhere. Leak sealer is the way forward here, as it’ll seek and seal regardless of where. If no mag filter, maybe add to a towel radiator. Thanks for the reply Is leak sealer likely to damage the pipework etc? My plan was to get an engineer to inspect the boiler for leaks (even though it was fine at the service last month apparently) and if all ok use a leak sealer to see what happens. Like you say it could literally be anywhere and I don't even know where the pipe locations are.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 7 minutes ago, Simba_ali said: Thanks for the reply Is leak sealer likely to damage the pipework etc? My plan was to get an engineer to inspect the boiler for leaks (even though it was fine at the service last month apparently) and if all ok use a leak sealer to see what happens. Like you say it could literally be anywhere and I don't even know where the pipe locations are.... It’s a product specifically designed for exactly this situation. I’ve used it many times and with excellent results. I did an old gravity to sealed and pressurised conversion and found water dripping from a ceiling downstairs. Was one of 4 pipes, 28mm, in a totally inaccessible place ( safe dropping the ceiling ) which had a floorboards nail completely through it. Had sealed itself with crud over the 30+ years it had been in. As soon as we filled the new system up, all great, then fired it up on max to get it all warmed through, and then it leaked like a bugger. One can of Sentinel later, and you could literally here the drips slow down over 20-30 mins and then stop. Client agreed to the fix and not heard a peep since ( north of 5 years ago ). Dont waste money on the call out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simba_ali Posted February 15, 2021 Author Share Posted February 15, 2021 Sounds promising I'll look into it. How much water would you expect 0.4 bar to be on a 7 radiator system? Enough to show as a leak if it was from the plastic pipes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 17 hours ago, Simba_ali said: Sounds promising I'll look into it. How much water would you expect 0.4 bar to be on a 7 radiator system? Enough to show as a leak if it was from the plastic pipes? All depends if it’s evaporating when hot. If so, you’ll never find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 21 hours ago, Simba_ali said: Sounds promising I'll look into it. How much water would you expect 0.4 bar to be on a 7 radiator system? Enough to show as a leak if it was from the plastic pipes? You can't tell. At best you can say its less than the volume of the expansion vessel because there is still some pressure in the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 Perhaps you could put a flourescent dye in the system that woukdn't evaporate away? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simba_ali Posted February 16, 2021 Author Share Posted February 16, 2021 The only sign of any leak I can find is this...I have no idea if this is a leak from when the system was Installed as the building is only 5 years old but does this seem like a continuous leak... enough to lower pressure every 2-3 months? Not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJNewton Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 (edited) Aree you sure that's a leak? I wasn't sure it necessarily looks like one given where the white stuff is/isn't. Obviously clean it up and see if it comes back.. Automatic air vents can often be sealed closed but your cap looks like it's got a hole so it might not be possible. Edited February 16, 2021 by MJNewton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simba_ali Posted February 16, 2021 Author Share Posted February 16, 2021 I'm not sure either, it looks old to me. The white stuff on top is powdery so I'm assuming it's to do with when the plaster boarding was done in the cupboard. It's more the green stains on the side that I'm concerned with. Looks like some kind of overspill at some point. It's Probably nothing just thought I'd get an opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJNewton Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 (edited) Yes, I was thinking plaster too. The green might be a result of flux on the plumbers hands during installation. If you clean it up and tape a sandwich bag around it you'll soon find out if anything's coming out. Edited February 16, 2021 by MJNewton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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