Hi
I have a 15 year old Potterton Combi Performa HE30 and the first 10 years are fine with no visible need to top up bar the annual service and then over the next 5 years, I have noticed I need to top up the pressure with increasing frequency starting with twice a year, then 4 times a year, etc over and above the annual boiler service. Of late, I need to top up the pressure during winter like once a week to move it from 0.8 to 1.5. So it is like dropping 0.1 bar a day on average. I do notice that the drop is more if the heating is on than now with the heating off during summer but still dropping none the less like 0.5 bar a day. I had a boiler guy came to check and he said, everything with the boiler is fine. He was pretty sure my 15 year old boiler is not leaking. He checked the PRV, checked and pumped the expansion vessel, and drained the condensate as he isolated the pipework system and the boiler. He came to the conclusion that there must be a leak in the pipework - radiator system. It is a nightmare to rip up the floor boards and uncover pipes in the kitchen and before I do that, I did think of getting a thermal camera but it seems that pipes in the void (rather than buried in the ground) will not show much thermal disturbances to identify a leak. So maybe it is not a good idea to rent a thermal camera.
I am of two minds. Take a chance and get a new boiler (since the Potterton is now 15 years old) and maybe the leak is in the boiler and got burnt off by the pilot flame. Or do a simple experiment and that is since it is summer now, turn off the inflow and outflow valves (first and last pipes at the bottom of the Combi) to the central system pipework, having topped up the pressure to 1.5 and bled all radiators and leave the system for 2 weeks. I assume if the leak is with the ground pipes, then after two weeks, when I turn the two valves back on, the pressure in the gauge will show a sudden drop. But if the leak is in the boiler, then the boiler pressure will still drop everyday despite me turning the inflow and outflow valves of the gas heating system.. Will the turning off the valves be able to sustain the difference in pressure between a leaking pipe system and the pressure in the boiler ?? Will the above experiment prove that the leak is in the boiler or in the pipework? Or maybe just buy a new boiler and hope that the pipework/radiator system is fine.
The pipework must be over 35 years and current radiators were put in 15 years ago.
Thanks for your help.
I have a 15 year old Potterton Combi Performa HE30 and the first 10 years are fine with no visible need to top up bar the annual service and then over the next 5 years, I have noticed I need to top up the pressure with increasing frequency starting with twice a year, then 4 times a year, etc over and above the annual boiler service. Of late, I need to top up the pressure during winter like once a week to move it from 0.8 to 1.5. So it is like dropping 0.1 bar a day on average. I do notice that the drop is more if the heating is on than now with the heating off during summer but still dropping none the less like 0.5 bar a day. I had a boiler guy came to check and he said, everything with the boiler is fine. He was pretty sure my 15 year old boiler is not leaking. He checked the PRV, checked and pumped the expansion vessel, and drained the condensate as he isolated the pipework system and the boiler. He came to the conclusion that there must be a leak in the pipework - radiator system. It is a nightmare to rip up the floor boards and uncover pipes in the kitchen and before I do that, I did think of getting a thermal camera but it seems that pipes in the void (rather than buried in the ground) will not show much thermal disturbances to identify a leak. So maybe it is not a good idea to rent a thermal camera.
I am of two minds. Take a chance and get a new boiler (since the Potterton is now 15 years old) and maybe the leak is in the boiler and got burnt off by the pilot flame. Or do a simple experiment and that is since it is summer now, turn off the inflow and outflow valves (first and last pipes at the bottom of the Combi) to the central system pipework, having topped up the pressure to 1.5 and bled all radiators and leave the system for 2 weeks. I assume if the leak is with the ground pipes, then after two weeks, when I turn the two valves back on, the pressure in the gauge will show a sudden drop. But if the leak is in the boiler, then the boiler pressure will still drop everyday despite me turning the inflow and outflow valves of the gas heating system.. Will the turning off the valves be able to sustain the difference in pressure between a leaking pipe system and the pressure in the boiler ?? Will the above experiment prove that the leak is in the boiler or in the pipework? Or maybe just buy a new boiler and hope that the pipework/radiator system is fine.
The pipework must be over 35 years and current radiators were put in 15 years ago.
Thanks for your help.