Adsibob Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 We had a new boiler installed in December, as part of a complete re-plumb of the whole house. New water cylinder was installed in Feb, we moved in in May. I believe when we moved in the pressure gauge on the boiler was showing 1.2. Last month (early July) I noticed it had dropped to 1.0, but didn’t think much of it as the boiler, a Veissman Vitodens system boiler is designed to operate at 1.0 to 1.5 bar. Today it is 0.9 bar. Should I be worried? Can’t see any signs of leaks. There were a couple of green spots near junctions on some copper pipes, but I’m not sure this is evidence of a leak? Everything was dry to the touch when I was insulating the pipes, and although on occasion I had to be a bit firm handed to squeeze in the insulation I wouldn’t have damaged any of the pipe work with that as I wasn’t that firm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markc Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 I’m not a plumber but no pressure system is perfect. If you were having to top the system up every few weeks then I would be concerned. On a new system air pockets work their way around causing fluctuations, if you top up now I would imagine it will stay pretty constant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnMo Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 Top it back up to 1.2 and monitor. Green marks are likely to be areas where the pipe has go wet. Wrap some toilet paper around those areas, go back and look at the paper in a hour or so or overnight. If slightly damp or wet you have the leak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kommando Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 The first fill of water would contain air dissolved in the water, this comes out of solution when the water is heated hence the need for air bleeds in first few weeks. Once this is done then the pressure drops should stop and you can add water to get the right Bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 Assuming this has an auto bleed vent in the system somewhere and it’s got inhibitor in the system then it’s pretty normal to see some loss in the system until everything beds down. I would top up to 1.5 bar and then bleed all rads and any UFH rails, then check and top up again to 1.2 bar if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted August 11, 2022 Share Posted August 11, 2022 It doesnt take much of a leak. You probably won't see it, you have to physically feel around pipes with a dry hand. Check all valves in particular. Eg All motorised valves (turn off electric) and radiator valves. Perhaps also any expansion vessels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adsibob Posted August 11, 2022 Author Share Posted August 11, 2022 4 minutes ago, Temp said: It doesnt take much of a leak. You probably won't see it, you have to physically feel around pipes with a dry hand. Check all valves in particular. Eg All motorised valves (turn off electric) and radiator valves. Perhaps also any expansion vessels. Hmm, wish I'd noticed this before i insulated most of the exposed pipes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adsibob Posted December 1, 2022 Author Share Posted December 1, 2022 So I topped up the boiler to 1.8 back in August, and haven’t really touched it (or remembered to monitor it) since. Today boiler stopped working and reported low pressure fault. It has fallen right down to 0.2 or 0.3. I topped it up to 1.9 and its working again. Not really sure what is going on, but seems wrong for a brand new install not to have bedded down by now. Would you be concerned? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seren161 Posted December 1, 2022 Share Posted December 1, 2022 Yes. Definitely abnormal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted December 2, 2022 Share Posted December 2, 2022 Unless you can find the offending leak, which will be tiny and probably evaporates each time the heating warms through, you may be better off dosing with Sentinel leak sealer and running it at max for a few hours. It's shit-hot stuff and works incredibly quickly. I would recommend, once dosed and the leak sealed, emptying and refilling the system to get back to just water / inhibitor mix ( or as close to ) for the remainder of the life of the system, only re-dosing if the problem reoccurs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adsibob Posted December 2, 2022 Author Share Posted December 2, 2022 5 hours ago, Nickfromwales said: Unless you can find the offending leak, which will be tiny and probably evaporates each time the heating warms through, you may be better off dosing with Sentinel leak sealer and running it at max for a few hours. It's shit-hot stuff and works incredibly quickly. I would recommend, once dosed and the leak sealed, emptying and refilling the system to get back to just water / inhibitor mix ( or as close to ) for the remainder of the life of the system, only re-dosing if the problem reoccurs. sounds too good to be true. How long does this fix last? And are there any down-sides? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted December 2, 2022 Share Posted December 2, 2022 11 minutes ago, Adsibob said: sounds too good to be true. How long does this fix last? And are there any down-sides? Lasts the duration. Not the immaculate solution but does exactly what it says on the tin. I’m sure it remains inactive when suspended in water, and reacts when introduced to atmosphere. My spider sense says drain out afterwards, but probably harmless tbh. Manufacturers instructions say its fine to stay in….. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonner Posted December 2, 2022 Share Posted December 2, 2022 8 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said: Lasts the duration. Not the immaculate solution but does exactly what it says on the tin. I’m sure it remains inactive when suspended in water, and reacts when introduced to atmosphere. My spider sense says drain out afterwards, but probably harmless tbh. Manufacturers instructions say its fine to stay in….. I can vouch for this stuff. Had a very slow leak which was never found. Put leak sealer in and left it. Pressure not dropped for years since. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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