can leak be found without filling oil tank?

sligoface

My oil tank only has about 4 inches of oil left which is not enough to get into the pipe and hear the rads. I think there may be a leak and want to get the boiler serviced, but should I get oil first? I'm wondering if it's possible for the leak to be detected if I can't get oil into the system?

It's a bit of a long story as regards the leak: Got 200 euro (190 ltrs i think) of oil 1 month ago on March 8, the system was airlocked after the delivery and I bled it (hadn't done that before but got info on here and over the phone from the delivery man who had left) and it was working fine. About three weeks after the delivery I came home to a strong smell of kerosene after my girlfriend had the heat on during the evening. The boiler/burner house is connected to the back of the house where the sitting room and kitchen are. I opened it and there was a thin layer of kerosene on the floor of the boiler house and also outside the boiler house where it had seeped into the concrete. I mopped up the kerosene and, thinking it might be leaking from the nut I loosened to bleed the system, tightened that nut more but I don't think it was from there as the nut was already tight and there didn't seem to be anything coming out from there. Then I felt along the line and the bowl shaped plastic filter was wet with kerosene on the bottom and sides so I thought it was leaking from that, I tried tightening that, it tightened slightly but then kept turning and wouldn't tighten, just kept turning. I then left paper down on the floor to see if it was still leaking where it was coming from and went back to using the heat. No more kerosene was coming out during the next few days, only soaked the paper around the edges where there was probably still some kero on the floor that hadn't gotten mopped up. Took the paper up and the next few days kept checking the floor, it was dry.
The oil has now run out which it usually wouldn't as we only run it about 4 or 5 hrs per day, but I've no idea how much or for how long the oil was leaking. I can't smell it anymore and I thought the leak was fixed but I'm not sure now.

I'm going to ring the landlord tomorrow but just wonder is there any point getting it checked out without enough oil to run.

Robbie.G

sligoface wrote: »

My oil tank only has about 4 inches of oil left which is not enough to get into the pipe and hear the rads. I think there may be a leak and want to get the boiler serviced, but should I get oil first? I'm wondering if it's possible for the leak to be detected if I can't get oil into the system?

It's a bit of a long story as regards the leak: Got 200 euro (190 ltrs i think) of oil 1 month ago on March 8, the system was airlocked after the delivery and I bled it (hadn't done that before but got info on here and over the phone from the delivery man who had left) and it was working fine. About three weeks after the delivery I came home to a strong smell of kerosene after my girlfriend had the heat on during the evening. The boiler/burner house is connected to the back of the house where the sitting room and kitchen are. I opened it and there was a thin layer of kerosene on the floor of the boiler house and also outside the boiler house where it had seeped into the concrete. I mopped up the kerosene and, thinking it might be leaking from the nut I loosened to bleed the system, tightened that nut more but I don't think it was from there as the nut was already tight and there didn't seem to be anything coming out from there. Then I felt along the line and the bowl shaped plastic filter was wet with kerosene on the bottom and sides so I thought it was leaking from that, I tried tightening that, it tightened slightly but then kept turning and wouldn't tighten, just kept turning. I then left paper down on the floor to see if it was still leaking where it was coming from and went back to using the heat. No more kerosene was coming out during the next few days, only soaked the paper around the edges where there was probably still some kero on the floor that hadn't gotten mopped up. Took the paper up and the next few days kept checking the floor, it was dry.
The oil has now run out which it usually wouldn't as we only run it about 4 or 5 hrs per day, but I've no idea how much or for how long the oil was leaking. I can't smell it anymore and I thought the leak was fixed but I'm not sure now.

I'm going to ring the landlord tomorrow but just wonder is there any point getting it checked out without enough oil to run.

There are a few things that can be done first the oil line can be pressure tested for leaks.Then the boiler can be serviced.You need to have oil for the boiler to be serviced as it has to be run for testing and setup the pressure test can be done at the time if service.But that oil usage would be about right.

Billy Bunting

Yep! usage sounds near enough. I would get a bit of oil but leave the isolation valve on the tank turned off while you wait fo your Oftec engineer to test the line and service the boiler.

jimf

Robbie.G wrote: »

There are a few things that can be done first the oil line can be pressure tested for leaks.Then the boiler can be serviced.You need to have oil for the boiler to be serviced as it has to be run for testing and setup the pressure test can be done at the time if service.But that oil usage would be about right.

+1

also if you only got 190 litres for 200 eu then you are been charged a crazy price i know oil companies charge for small qty deliveries but this is way too high

sligoface

Cheers lads, was thinking that the oil usage wasn't far off, as the missus probly had it on more than she let on, it was cold in march, because I don't think we lost much. Which is good since the boiler house is connected to an exterior wall right and right next to a drain, the smell was very strong as there is a vent to the kitchen there too but it went away once we stopped using the heat and I think it actually started to go away after I tightened that filter just a bit.

Where is the isolation valve mentioned its a riello 40/firebird popular 90?

Now to try and convince my landlord to get a proper oftec technician out, he's quite the cowboy and judging by the duct tape around the pipe coming from the oil tank he's had a go at fixing leaks before. Might not even be a leak anymore tho.

Might seem like a crazy price, unfortunately when you only have 200 euro you can't get a good price anywhere, some places its minimum 250 or they won't come out and even then yr only talkin 260 ltrs. Put a few quid aside tho since the last time and I'm getting a larger delivery now.

Billy Bunting

sligoface wrote: »

Where is the isolation valve mentioned its a riello 40/firebird popular 90?

Thr should be an iso valve on the oil tank.