Can my radiator be fixed or do I need to replace it?

WIAWSNB

anonymous12124 said:

Thanks for this detailed post. I've attached a picture as best as I can from beneath you can see two orange rusty spots which match the colour of the water on the floor. Carp pic And actually not definitive.

You were right, there is more than 1 rusty spot. Welding therefore seems futile? Possibly - see 'not definitive' above. 

My boiler has a pressure guage and it usually hovers around 1.5 and that hasn't changed much. Ok, so a teeny leak. 

I do have a Maganaflow connected to the central heating system which I get services every year along with the boiler. Ah, cool. 'Magnaclean'? Now, the Q is, does it have sludge in it when cleaned? If it does, then you are having internal corrosion. If it doesn't, then good chance that's a failed weld - so potentially fixable. 

My valves are closed fully but I guess this is where monitoring the pressure guage will help us. Not if the two valves are fully closed - the pressure should remain stable. 

See bits in bold. 

This is more 'promising' in terms of the cause; what you didn't want to see was a lot of raised bubbles of paint, bursting through with water seeping out. That would have indicated 'rust', and a terminal problem. That sort of rust almost certainly begins from within - ie, you have a rotted rad. And that also suggest others could be similarly affected.

However, your rad looks 'clean'. Yes, there are rust stains, but that's not surprising. There are seemingly no 'blisters' or raised 'bubbles' in the paintwork, so that suggests only a pinhole leak due to an inherent fault, such as a poor weld. 

You have a filter fitted - that's very good news. A check of this should be a good indicator; if this is checked, then the presence of 'sludge' would indicate corrosion. The colour of the water contents should also point to a cause - if it's brown, then 'corrosion'. If it's nearly clear, then a rad fault. 

Either way, part of your service - I think - should be your GS testing the inhibitor content, to prevent such corrosion from occurring in the first place. 

So, the Q is - are you able to check that filer yourself? Do you know what's involved? 

Assuming that everything points to a simple rad joint failure, then your options are to attempt a repair, challenge the manufacturer for a replacement, or to just swap. 

A repair could be DIYed, such as cleaning the leak area down to bare metal, and epoxy-resining a sealing coat over it. But you'd have to accept the possibility of it failing at some unknown point. It might not, but it could 

Tbh, my earlier suggestion of a weld is pretty unrealistic, due to the simple hassle of removing it, cleaning it up, taking it to someone who's in agreement... 

Check out QrizB's rad suggestion - see if they have 'Purmo' or anything else embossed on them.

QrizB

WIAWSNB said:

However, your rad looks 'clean'. Yes, there are rust stains, but that's not surprising. There are seemingly no 'blisters' or raised 'bubbles' in the paintwork, so that suggests only a pinhole leak due to an inherent fault, such as a poor weld. 

Looking at the photo, there are two rusty spots (drip patches?) on the bottom rail of the rad, which coincide wth the line of the welded bracket that's joining the two panels. It could possibly be that this weld has developed a pinhole?

WIAWSNB said:

Check out QrizB's rad suggestion - see if they have 'Purmo' or anything else embossed on them.

If they are Purmo radiators, they're available from Screwfix:

https://www.screwfix.com/c/heating-plumbing/central-heating-radiators/cat830988?brand=purmo

anonymous12124

My boiler guy says he will come out to have a look. I remember when he serviced the boiler and filter in August - there were no rusty bits, the just the tiny bit of black sludge stuck to the magnetic part. But I'll get him to have a look again.

The radiators are from a brand called Ultraheat - embossed on the side panels. I just spoke to them who want proof of purchase but that's long since been lost. 

Boohoo

anonymous12124 said:

My boiler guy says he will come out to have a look. I remember when he serviced the boiler and filter in August - there were no rusty bits, the just the tiny bit of black sludge stuck to the magnetic part. But I'll get him to have a look again.

The radiators are from a brand called Ultraheat - embossed on the side panels. I just spoke to them who want proof of purchase but that's long since been lost. 

How old are they then?



Do you remember who you bought them from or were they installed with a new boiler?

If you remember buying them from you could see if they are on your online account/buying history and that may give you an receipt or invoice.

Just a suggestion.

WIAWSNB

anonymous12124 said:

My boiler guy says he will come out to have a look. I remember when he serviced the boiler and filter in August - there were no rusty bits, the just the tiny bit of black sludge stuck to the magnetic part. But I'll get him to have a look again.

The radiators are from a brand called Ultraheat - embossed on the side panels. I just spoke to them who want proof of purchase but that's long since been lost. 

Seemingly a 10-year warranty, but you'd likely need proof of purchase, or evidence that it was an inherent fault.
At least you have a make, so a direct swap should be possible.
The black sludge is 'rust', just in a form created under the enclosed conditions. If only a small amount in a year, that sounds positive, but ideally there should be zero, so perhaps time for a fresh dose of inhibitor - added via the filter, this is around £15.
It sounds as though you've been unlucky with a rad that's failed for no good reason. A repair should be quite possible, but not sure of the best material to use, and it carries the risk of failing again. But a bare-metal coat of resin should work, afaIcs.
A bit more tricky since your system is sealed, so under around 1 bar pressure, instead of ~0.2 for vented.
A new rad is looking like ~£200+...
There are also leak-sealer additives that work from within, but not sure if that's ideal for the system water - perhaps ask your plumber?

WIAWSNB

Worth a go?
Valves shut, undo one end and drain rad, remove and turn upside down. 
Locate point of leak, and roughly abrade to expose surrounding bare metal. 
Make sure it's bone dry, and coat.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weld-8297-HighHeat-Temperature-Resistant/dp/B007PP26RI