Losing Water Pressure in CH system suddenly

V4

Hi

Total novice here.

I have a 2 year old Intergas 30SB installed and came home yesterday to discover that it was flashing 0.0 on the display. It means that it has no water pressure in the CH system. So I re-pressured the system back up to 1.6 bar and the boiler ran fine so I turned off the heating. Came home today and the display is 0.0 again.
I can't see a leak anywhere or smell damp so does anyone know why it's losing so much water in one day.

Thanks if you can help.

JohnnieK

Check outside where the pipe from the safety valve looks out. It will be outside under the flue about wast hight and might be looking down towards the ground.

V4

JohnnieK wrote: »

Check outside where the pipe from the safety valve looks out. It will be outside under the flue about wast hight and might be looking down towards the ground.

Thanks for the reply johnnie.
I don't know why but my boiler doesn't have the outside pipe.
It has a condensation pipe going into the drain for waste water from washing machine.

heinbloed

I don't know why but my boiler doesn't have the outside pipe.

Since you have a modern heating system.

Question:

What have the recent maintenance reports stated ("I have a 2 year old Intergas 30SB installed") ?
With the EU consumer legislations applied you would have seen at least two maintenance reports.

The pressure loss might have been stated with the first report (installation comissioning)and the second and third report.
Pressure loss can have several reasons.

The statement

It means that it has no water pressure in the CH system

should be take with care.

I can't see a leak anywhere or smell damp so does anyone know why it's losing so much water in one day.

How much? Liters?

kerryplumbing

Heinbloed has as usual come the rescue!!!!!
If the safety valve hasn't been run outside I would assume that it is ok or you would have noticed the water under the boiler. You could have a problem with the systems expansion vessel. If you possess a pressure gauge you could connect it to the vessel and check that it is at the correct pressure (usually 1.5 bar).
If it is not that you do in all likelihood have a leak in your system and rather than topping the system up daily I would recommend that it is seen to as soon as possible

V4

heinbloed wrote: »

Since you have a modern heating system.

Question:

What have the recent maintenance reports stated ("I have a 2 year old Intergas 30SB installed") ?
With the EU consumer legislations applied you would have seen at least two maintenance reports.

The pressure loss might have been stated with the first report (installation comissioning)and the second and third report.
Pressure loss can have several reasons.

The statement


should be take with care.


How much? Liters?

I have it serviced every year by the guy who installed it and its never had a problem. (I didn't want to call him out because I was trying to save a few bob).

I don't know how much water it's losing but I topped it up again last night from 0.0 on the display to 1.2 bar.

I can't see a leak anywhere in the house which is strange.
I'm in the land of the unknown here and I thought there might be a easy fix, but on the advice of the lads on here I think I will call the guy who installed it out.

Cooker went a month ago, fridge went 2 weeks ago, washing machine element is gone, the hits just keep on coming...

heinbloed

Oha.

Well, one answer could be that the automatic air valve is doing it's job.

When repressurising the CH system and starting the circulation pump any air in the system will be moved around, together with the circulated water.
Air reaching the highest point of the CH system (where the automatic air valve is usually positioned) will be pushed out there.
And air leaving the system will cause a pressure drop.

When you re-pressurise the system the next time use a bit of soapy water at the air release valve to check if air is leaving the system. Soap bubbles will show up if that is the case.

The heat exchangers in the boiler and in the thermal storage/buffer tank/cylinder could be leaking:

Isolate the cylinder, close both valves at the inlet and at the outlet. And watch the pressure behaviour.

If the heatexchanger within the boiler is leaking the water would be coming out at the condensate trap:

Switch off the boiler, close the gas valve. Dislodge the (flexible) pipe from the condensate trap, repressurise the system and watch it.
Or remove the sump from the condensate trap.
As long as the boiler isn't running there should be no water coming from the boiler to the condensate trap. If you see water coming there you have found the leak, it would be the boiler's heat exchanger itself.

With repeated pressure loss and consequently repeated filling the brine will be dilluted, the anti-oxidant agent (if present) becoming to dilluted to be efficient.

V4

heinbloed wrote: »

Oha.

Well, one answer could be that the automatic air valve is doing it's job.

When repressurising the CH system and starting the circulation pump any air in the system will be moved around, together with the circulated water.
Air reaching the highest point of the CH system (where the automatic air valve is usually positioned) will be pushed out there.
And air leaving the system will cause a pressure drop.

When you re-pressurise the system the next time use a bit of soapy water at the air release valve to check if air is leaving the system. Soap bubbles will show up if that is the case.

The heat exchangers in the boiler and in the thermal storage/buffer tank/cylinder could be leaking:

Isolate the cylinder, close both valves at the inlet and at the outlet. And watch the pressure behaviour.

If the heatexchanger within the boiler is leaking the water would be coming out at the condensate trap:

Switch off the boiler, close the gas valve. Dislodge the (flexible) pipe from the condensate trap, repressurise the system and watch it.
Or remove the sump from the condensate trap.
As long as the boiler isn't running there should be no water coming from the boiler to the condensate trap. If you see water coming there you have found the leak, it would be the boiler's heat exchanger itself.

With repeated pressure loss and consequently repeated filling the brine will be dilluted, the anti-oxidant agent (if present) becoming to dilluted to be efficient.

Thanks for the advice heinbloed
I am going to try that when I get home tonight
I'll let you know how I get on.

Micky Dolenz

I'd be very surprised if the heat exchanger is leaking.

Very likely you have a leak under the ground floor.