Damp in boiler cupboard

Britannia12345

It's a bungalow. There could have been some damp in there before and I've just not noticed but the wavy patterns on the wall are recent.

Excuse my bad drawing.

WIAWSNB

The boiler is in that cupboard?

Is it a sealed system? Does it have a pressure gauge?

Britannia12345

yes, yes and yes 😊

WIAWSNB

And has the pressure remained steady?

And no sign of damp around the stack in the dining and front rooms?

Is that floor solid or suspended?

Spikeygran

No outside wall then, so that rules out that.

Some plumbers have an acoustic device that can help locate a hidden leak

bjorn_toby_wilde

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81977240#Comment_81977240

Mmmm. That’s a bit suspicious.

Condensate pumps should just work, not “work ok if at the right angle”. It might be worth having another look at that as a possible source.

Britannia12345

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81977376#Comment_81977376

Pressure is fine, new boiler. The floor is laminate over concrete. No sign of damp anywhere else.

stuart45

It looks like there's a lot of salts coming through the plaster.

WIAWSNB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81977559#Comment_81977559

Hmm. Well, if the pressure hasn't dropped, then it surely 'can't' be from the sealed boiler system and rads. (Unless your boiler has a fancy auto top-up system).

So, that leaves either a leak from other plumbing (H&C) possibly from the storey above - is there a bathroom or anything in the room above (have to ask, but I very much doubt this as a cause), from rain getting in (you'll soon know in this dry weather), or a leak from the condensate pipe as others have suggested.

There is clearly significant water there, and the fact it's a solid concrete floor will explain how the water is showing itself around the perimeter of the cupboard, having likely travelled under and along the edge of the floor covering. That is a significant amount of liquid!

I guess check the condensate pipe from the boiler if it has one? How is the boiler 'topped-up'? That will include a mains water pipe - check that too.

stuart45

A boiler room in the kitchen will have a lot of trapped damp air in it. In winter the boiler is in use more, so it was probably less of an issue. There's probably a lot of hygroscopic salts in the plaster now from the chimney, so they will attract a lot of condensation. Boiler rooms and utility rooms are better off being face brickwork, and not plastered.