Boiler System

J_Smotthies2021

Good afternoon,

Is there anyway to understand whether any leak in the boiler system (pipes, connections so on) ? 

Especially in a suspended ground floor where all the pipes are under the boards and you cannot really see a leak.

thanks

tacpot12

You could do a pressure test on the system. Pressurise it to a known level then wait to see if the pressure drops. If your system is open vented you will need to close the vent and the feed during the test. 

A competent heating engineer should have the equipment to be able to do this. 

J_Smotthies2021

It is a combi boiler system which was done recently and I just want to have some assurance

neilmcl

J_Smotthies2021 said:

It is a combi boiler system which was done recently and I just want to have some assurance

Do you have any reason to suspect there's a leak? You system is pressurised so a loss in pressure is always a good pointer that you have leak.

J_Smotthies2021

Do you mean loss of pressure on the boiler itself?

Jeepers_Creepers

Yes.

It'll have either an analogue gauge or a digital readout. It'll hopefully be currently set at around 1 to 1.5bar.

If it stays there, you're fine. If it drops, there's a leak. But it wouldn't have to be from a pipe - there's at least 2 ways water can escape from the boiler itself.

So, first thing - does the pressure remain constant?

J_Smotthies2021

no, it keeps dropping

Jeepers_Creepers

Ok. The first thing to check is the 15mm copper pipe that goes out the wall to the outside, and points either downwards or bends back towards the wall - that's the safety discharge pipe. See if there's any wetness on the end. Even fix a clear bag over it using a rubber band to monitor any water loss. Top your system back up to the usual level - say 1.2bar.

If the pressure drops and no water appears in that bag, come back.

Come back regardless

NSG666

J_Smotthies2021 said:

no, it keeps dropping

So you keep topping it up to increase the pressure? Have you bled the radiators recently.

I'd suggest that you bleed the radiators of air then re-pressurise the boiler to 1bar (or whatever you have been told or the manual says) when the heating is not running and everything is cold.

Check the pressure over the next few days and report back.