Very small leak in hot water tank?

ben1985

Hello

I am a month into buying my flat and all has been going reasonably well.

I have been using my central heating for the water for the last month and that's all fine, all nice & hot. Today I decided to use the central heating to see if it works as I've not checked it at all. It took about 45 minutes for the heat to come through (not been used since Mid year by previous owners I guess) and then all the radiators was nice and warm and all
However later on today I went to collect my laundry which is located in the airing cupboard which also contains a hot water tank (with an insulated jacket around it) and I noticed a very small damp patch on the piece of wood (the boiler is sat on a 'mini pallet'. I then lifted up the insulated jacket and whilst I could not see fresh dripping water there was definitely a wet patch, my cover which I also put down a few weeks ago also has a damp patch so there is definitely a very small leak.

Also looking at the bottom of the boiler, there are two main pipes and there seems to be a lot of green corrosion around then and all around the bottom.

With this in mind I have just signed up to the British Gas Central heating service for £9 month. There is a 14 day exclusion policy as well so they will receive a call in October about a very small leak from the hot water tank and hopefully that will be sorted. Alas It's not a problem at all with the boiler, just seemingly (at the moment) a leak from the hot water tank pipe connections (one or some of them)

Has anybody any advice, I've posted two pictures up so people can give even greater advice as to whether it's as bad as I think or not.

[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/BENJAM%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.png[/IMG][IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/BENJAM%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.png[/IMG]Go to the link below for a picture:

http://img36.imageshack.us/i/30082009146.jpg/

Kind Regards

BW

mcjordi

that looks like its had a leak for a while.. did you get a survey done?? should of pointed this out to you on there

macman

That tank looks like it has been leaking for years...
I'm not clear from your post if your BG cover is just for the boiler or the whole system? But surely even if the tank is covered, it will not cover a pre-existing condition, which that clearly is? I would just get it fixed soon in case the whole tank fails, which will cost you a great deal more.

DVardysShadow

Difficult to tell where the leak is coming from, but if it has only just appeared now you have turned the heating on, I would say it is worth tightening the nut on the pipe and see if that fixes it.

Your problem with calling BG is that they could rightly claim that the problem predates their exclusion clause.

ben1985

Hello,

Yes I got a survey done as part of the normal mortgage process. It mentioned about having further checks on the central heating & Electrical system but it was explained to me that this is what goes in every survey. In short it didn't mention nothing about the hot water tank.

So what do you think my options are, the boiler seems to be working fine, so what shall/can I do and is the £9 a month British Gas cover I got a waste of money?

Regards

BW

ariba10

It looks as if it is the fitting that is put in when the cylinder was made (The part the pipe is screwed onto)

I have repaired one or two in the past.

Drained the cylinder, disconnected the pipe and there was a back nut behind holding the fitting in. Unscrewed it wrapped PTFE tape around it and reassembled.

Worked for a good few years then the houses were sold.

ben1985

Hi,

Like mentioned above does anybody suggest I should try and tighten any nuts?, if so please provide idiot proof instructions:rolleyes:, I should be all right with giving that a try if it seems a good option

Failing that is it a matter of cancelling BG cover which won't sort it anyway as you all have mentioned and phoning a few heating engineers, has anybody idea of some prices?

BW

SailorSam

From the photo it looks to me as if the 'male' fitting as failed where it is joined to the tank.
I think if it were only the 'female' nut, there would not be as much green staining so widespread on the tank.
If you were an expert you may be able to re-solder the fitting but think really a new tank is needed.
Check with B&Q etc, a tank is probably about £100, depending on its size, a decent plumber could do the job in half a day perhaps, although they can be difficult to get into.

macman

ben1985 wrote: »

Hello,

Yes I got a survey done as part of the normal mortgage process. It mentioned about having further checks on the central heating & Electrical system but it was explained to me that this is what goes in every survey. In short it didn't mention nothing about the hot water tank.

So what do you think my options are, the boiler seems to be working fine, so what shall/can I do and is the £9 a month British Gas cover I got a waste of money?

Regards

BW

It is unless you anticipate repairs costing an average of more than £108 every single year you are living there. Hard to comment further, as you didn't say what level of cover you actually get for this. The cheaper policies only cover the boiler, not the rest of the system.

ariba10

ben1985 wrote: »

Hi,

Like mentioned above does anybody suggest I should try and tighten any nuts?, if so please provide idiot proof instructions:rolleyes:, I should be all right with giving that a try if it seems a good option

Failing that is it a matter of cancelling BG cover which won't sort it anyway as you all have mentioned and phoning a few heating engineers, has anybody idea of some prices?

BW

I think it has been leaking too long for it to be cured by tightening the nut.

You could make it a lot worse if you try.

ben1985

Hi,

Is the general consensus on a new tank or more for it to be repaired? I could really do without any costs at the moment. Also, because my flat is the 1st floor I get free 'under floor heating' from downstairs and it is always warm nearly all the time as the bloke downstairs must have it on a lot.

Do I get it repaired now-ish and then get the tank replaced in say April? or what else

If somebody could give me rough quotes for a repair and replacement I would appreciate it as I have some general rough guidelines to go on.

Regards

BW