Boiler Pressure at Zero

barkingmadlolly

Hi,

Not sure if this is the right place to post this so mods please move it needs be.

Im living in rented accomodation at the moment, dont know much about DIY etc but the pressure on our gas boiler has gone to Zero. The landlady (who literally collects the money and doesnt know anything about DIY or Boilers) has said that its not a problem and nothing will happen with it. I am after doing some quick research online and it would seem to me that the boiler pressure being at zero is not normal and would need to be sorted out asap.

Can anyone advise? Im just wondering if this is worth causing a fuss over and ringing her daily until a plumber comes out or if she is right and it really isnt anything to worry about.
Thanks

Pete67

To be honest it depends on the design of the heating system. Sealed systems would normally have a pressure of 1 bar when cold, and a bit higher when hot. They often leak a small amount, so the pressure needs to be topped up periodically. The installer would have made a suitable arrangement to facilitate topping up.

However, many installers in Ireland use a hybrid system, where the make up water comes from the cold water storage tank in the attic by means of a one-way or check valve. In this case, the pressure may read zero on the boiler, as there is not much head of water available. If this is the case, then you would expect to see a slight rise in pressure when the heating system is hot.

If the heating system is running well, and is not making any unusual noises, then I don't think you have a serious problem.

barkingmadlolly

Thanks Pete,

The only real difference we have noticed lately is that the Power Shower is either Very Hot or Very Cold. It will stay very hot when you have the temperature well over the cold side but apart from that there doesnt seem to be any strange noises. would you think just to leave it running as normal na dif any noises out of it escalate it again?

Thanks

barkingmadlolly

Just a quick update and wondering if anyone had any advice, the pilot light on the boiler now onliy comes on for a couple of minutes and then goes off, is this normal?

311

If the boiler hasn't been serviced ,get your landlady/lord to have it serviced. Especially if your concerned about it.

If you look for the manufacturer of the boiler on the Internet you should will be able to download a instruction booklet which will help you answer alot of your problems. Not all boilers have a permanent pilot, but if you have to press a reset button then it is a problem, Gary.

mildews

As gary71 wrote, Google the make and model of boiler and find out what the operating pressure should be. Ask the landlord when the boiler was last serviced and ask for proof. As "Duncan" says on the telly the boiler should have an annual service.
If the boiler pressure is reading zero as you say then it needs to be checked as its loosing pressure somewhere. Most pressurised systems should be AFAIK around 1.5 bar. and when the pressure drops below a certain level the reset light will come on.

The shower (if it is a pumped shower) is fed from your hot tank and dosen't heat water like an electric shower does, and will only be hot for as long as you have hot water in the tank.

311

Listen folks ,sorry to butt in again but every heating system is different. Some systems have almost no reading on the guage at all.
If the guage is fitted correctly on a standard boiler ,the reading will actually reduce when the heating is turned on initially. This is because the pump is taking pressure away.

Theres no point in getting frustrated over it ,becuase you can actually cause more trouble by interfering with it and unbalance the heating system. Thats why having it serviced will resolve everything and give you some peice of mind.

I am working on heating systems constantly ,day in day out. And in some areas in dublin you won't even get .5 bar pressure on the mains ,never mind from a header tank.

Wouldn't it be important to understand if possible, what type of heating system you have, as all pressurized systems leak microscopicaly and could require pressurizing a couple times a year.

JamesM

gary71 wrote: »

Wouldn't it be important to understand if possible, what type of heating system you have, as all pressurized systems leak microscopical and could require pressurizing a couple times a year.

A service is always a good idea (the landlord should pay for it) - then ask the guy where the fill valve is and if the pressure should be higher.
Jim.

311

gary71 wrote: »

Wouldn't it be important to understand if possible, what type of heating system you have, as all pressurized systems leak microscopical and could require pressurizing a couple times a year.

There is so many different types of boilers and they all require different things to work. Some vokera boilers don't work if the pressure is too low ,some boilers don't operate if there is any air in the system. Then there can be other factors which cause the system to loose water apart from a leak ,sometimes an electrical fault can cause this problem too.
It can be far too much to expect a person to look into all this ,when the safest thing to do is get it serviced.
It's not like it's pro-active defense ,something needs to sorted out.

Absolutely, regular servicing by a competent engineer is the only way to go, but i am all for taking the mystery out of filling a heating system, funky faults aside how often when snow is on the ground and the customer is jumping up and down for you to call and when you call the system pressure is at zero, run up stairs open up filling loop and then you hear "nobody told me what that was for". Without sounding like some sort of boiler nerd, i just think it would be handy when possible after a service for a householder to ask about the basic operating procedure of the boiler and time controls, If it's in warranty and it's just low pressure the customer could be charged, all for the want of opening a valve, if as engineers we can't explain that, what are we going to do with all the advanced logic on condensing boiler, I'll shut up now, I'm starting to bore myself, Gary.

barkingmadlolly

Thanks a mill for all your advice, like I said Im not exactly a DIY kind of girl and my tool box aint exactly full of stuff I know how to use so on your advice, landlady is sending someone out to look at boiler next week and i plan on hounding her until the boiler gets a service. We have lived her for over two years now and it hasnt been so even if there is nothing wrong with it, a service would be a good idea.

Will keep you posted and thanks again!