Yes but avoid "telling" RGI that you have diagnosed the fault... Suggest that you have a suspicion about the PRV; and he should know that inhibitor will be required upon refill, let him do it as part of the job!
Central heating system leakage - need advice please
- Thread starter LikeMyHome
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Good idea, thanks. Will do accordingly.
quick update: we called a gas engineer today through our insurance, he came and did the following:
1. cleaned up the PRV valve saying there was dirt underneath the rubber washer which might have been the reason for it leaking.
2. Found the pressure within expansion vessel (EV) was too low and re-pressurised to 1 bar. He said low pressure could have been the reason for excess pressure discharging through the relief valve/pipe rather than going into the vessel (although to me it should be the other way round - if pressure inside EV were too high then it would have discharged thru the prv).
3. Said if the pressure drop problem persists call the insurer again and ask for the prv replacement.
4. To my question about refilling inhibitor he replied - get the leakage problem sorted first then refill the inhibitor.
1. cleaned up the PRV valve saying there was dirt underneath the rubber washer which might have been the reason for it leaking.
2. Found the pressure within expansion vessel (EV) was too low and re-pressurised to 1 bar. He said low pressure could have been the reason for excess pressure discharging through the relief valve/pipe rather than going into the vessel (although to me it should be the other way round - if pressure inside EV were too high then it would have discharged thru the prv).
3. Said if the pressure drop problem persists call the insurer again and ask for the prv replacement.
4. To my question about refilling inhibitor he replied - get the leakage problem sorted first then refill the inhibitor.
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I hope you didn't try to argue this case with the engineer
Working on a Sunday is bad enough without trying to explain yourself to the customer!
No I didn't. This was my 2nd thought after her left anywayI hope you didn't try to argue this case with the engineer
I've downloaded the manual for the boiler, so will study how this works
[/QUOTE]Hello guys, Hope you had a nice weekend.
Unfortunately none of what the engineer did yesterday (cleaning the PRV, re-pressurising the expansion vessel (EV) - please see post #33) helped - the pressure still drops from 1.2 to 0.6 bar after ~4 hours of boiler operation. However, the pressure relief pipe (PRP) outside didn't collect any water (perhaps ~ 2ml only), so looks like the PRV has been fixed.
The engineer said also that if PRV doesn't leak anymore after the cleaning - it might be worth re-checking EV for pressure and if it looses pressure again - it might be faulty and worth replacing.
My plan for this evening is to try adding Fernox F4 Express Leak Sealer (here) through the radiators would that be OK or would you rather advise to call an engineer again to check for a fault in EV first?
Also, I want to add Fernox F1 CH inhibitor thru the radiator too. Is it worth doing together with the sealer, before or after - or doesn't matter?
Thank you
P.S. Just out of curiosity - EV has fixed volume so it can only take in so many liters of water. What happens when EV gets full - will it the water then escape thru the PRV or how? Thanks
Unfortunately none of what the engineer did yesterday (cleaning the PRV, re-pressurising the expansion vessel (EV) - please see post #33) helped - the pressure still drops from 1.2 to 0.6 bar after ~4 hours of boiler operation. However, the pressure relief pipe (PRP) outside didn't collect any water (perhaps ~ 2ml only), so looks like the PRV has been fixed.
The engineer said also that if PRV doesn't leak anymore after the cleaning - it might be worth re-checking EV for pressure and if it looses pressure again - it might be faulty and worth replacing.
My plan for this evening is to try adding Fernox F4 Express Leak Sealer (here) through the radiators would that be OK or would you rather advise to call an engineer again to check for a fault in EV first?
Also, I want to add Fernox F1 CH inhibitor thru the radiator too. Is it worth doing together with the sealer, before or after - or doesn't matter?
Thank you
P.S. Just out of curiosity - EV has fixed volume so it can only take in so many liters of water. What happens when EV gets full - will it the water then escape thru the PRV or how? Thanks
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Have a read of this... http://www.ukleakdetection.co.uk/heating-leak/boiler-pressure-dropping/
Might help in 'laymans' terms
ultimately you have a leak and if it's under the floor then you should have buildings insurance to cover the cost of finding it. This is normally about £5000, so will cover finding and even a new floor!
Mind you, dealing with insurers is an ordeal in itself!
Might help in 'laymans' terms
ultimately you have a leak and if it's under the floor then you should have buildings insurance to cover the cost of finding it. This is normally about £5000, so will cover finding and even a new floor!Mind you, dealing with insurers is an ordeal in itself!