Leak in heating system

dbird74

Hi, looking for a bit of advice... when i put on my OFCH i can hear a leak in the walls. im presuming this is due to the expansion of a pipe/connection and water is seeping out... my question: is ther anything i can add to the system to seal this or should i just bite the bullet and call a plumber? im hoping i dont have to rip the walls open to find this....If my fears are realised does anyone know a good plumber in the mullingar area that has leak detection capabilities? Thanks

shane0007

Are you sure it is a leak? If you can only hear it when the heating is on, it maybe a lot of air in the system, gurgling when the pump is on. I presume the system is an open vented system and there could well be an issue with that and/or associated pipework.

maddragon

How can you hear a leak? Is there no visible sign of damp and do you have to keep bleeding the rads. It might just be expansion noises common in heating systems. If there is a small leak you could try Oxypic which solved an underfloor leak I had.

dbird74

Thanks for the swift replies... cannot find any damp patches,,,, if it is just alot of air in the system i'll be amazed.. sounds different from expansion... will try and bleed all the rads again tonight and let you know the outcome tomorrow. But given the state of the plumming in my estate i wouldnt be surprised if it is a leak...Thanks again

dbird74

sorry meant to say i can hear the water dripping...not a leak..

Billy Bunting

A dripping noise could also discribe expansion.

If your system is loosing water then it would be topping itself up via the expansion tank in the loft, check if there is water "dripping" into the tank.

maddragon

Nothing to lose trying Oxypic anyway and it is also a corrosion inhibitor. PS: I'm not an Oxypic salesman

shane0007

If it is a leak that you can hear dripping, I would doubt if a leak sealer could seal it. They are generally more suitable for very slight weeps. I am also not a big lover of them. If there is a leak, I would rather locate it and fix it.

DGOBS

Have seen many a TRV jammed with Oxypic (micro-leaks daring air at the valve?) and wouldn't recommend it on boilers with narrow heatexchangers! (HE!)

aujopimur

If it's an open system, tie up the ballvalve on the expansion tank for a day, if the level drops you have a leak.
If it's a sealed system, make sure the cold feed is isolated, check your gauge for pressure loss.