Leak or not??????

grousedogtom

Hi all
OK i am an electrician by trade but understand the basics of plumbing and heating systems. Here is my problem, in my own house i have 5 rads downstairs on there own zone the heating system is a closed system , iam starting to get one of these rooms ready for a timber floor but have noticed damp patches on the concrete floor, this room was never used before so i have not noticed this previous. If i close off the filler valve and the gauge starts to drop would this indicate a leak somewhere or can anyone suggest the best method to determine this potential problem .Many thanks

yoshytoshy

If you vent your radiators and the water is black ,thats the easiest indicator of a leak.

aujopimur

Your fill valve should always be closed.

Joey the lips

grousedogtom wrote: »

Hi all
OK i am an electrician by trade but understand the basics of plumbing and heating systems. Here is my problem, in my own house i have 5 rads downstairs on there own zone the heating system is a closed system , iam starting to get one of these rooms ready for a timber floor but have noticed damp patches on the concrete floor, this room was never used before so i have not noticed this previous. If i close off the filler valve and the gauge starts to drop would this indicate a leak somewhere or can anyone suggest the best method to determine this potential problem .Many thanks

The filler valve should not be open. I have said it time and time again on this forum i hate automatic filler valves they should be banned.

They are quite often used by bad plumbers to solve problems long enough to spend the money. They end up leaving the homeowner with a massive cost by having to

1. De sludge the system
2. Replace the boiler due to sludge.


If pressure is dropping you have a leak...start looking at all the joints. Where you have the wet patch there might be a vertical run of pipe with water running down it and gathering on the floor. This you only notice when the pipe is cold.

yoshytoshy

I've advised on closing the filler valve on the forum before ,it doesn't necessarily mean any pipes are leaking though.

There are a number of devices that may be faulty on your system ,causing your system to loose water.

If the water coming from your radiator is dirty ,that is the simplest way of knowing you have a problem and how long you've had it for.

grousedogtom

Thanks guys for replies could ye please explain just 2 things 1)how water entering a heating system via the filler valve causes sludge and 2)why is black water an indicator of a leak or is this back to the sludge in the rad.
Many thanks

Joey the lips

grousedogtom wrote: »

Thanks guys for replies could ye please explain just 2 things 1)how water entering a heating system via the filler valve causes sludge and 2)why is black water an indicator of a leak or is this back to the sludge in the rad.
Many thanks

On point 1...

Because new water is constantly entering the system and the oxidation it causes generates sludge. This would be fine if the system was sealed as no build up should occur but eventually with new water even the inhibitor will be overwhelmed...

JohnnieK

grousedogtom wrote: »

Thanks guys for replies could ye please explain just 2 things 1)how water entering a heating system via the filler valve causes sludge and 2)why is black water an indicator of a leak or is this back to the sludge in the rad.
Many thanks

Point 2 is a continuation of point 1. The black water is a sign of Iron Oxide or magnatite as it's also known as. It is basically the insides of your radiators and other corrodible metals in the system rotting from the inside out due to fresh water entering the system. It mixes with the water and turns it black. If you turn off both rad valves and let a little water out into a bowel from the tail piece's on the valves this will give an indication of the general health of your system.