leeking central heating system

joejobrien

Hi all,
I have a leak in my CH. system. House built 14 years never a proplem. Now it is zoned upstairs and downstairs, and I can shut off downstairs send heating upstairs and it heats the rads perfectly. When i turn on zone value for downstairs you can hear the water running through the rads unable to heat water as it is pouring out as quick as it is going in:(. But the proplem is I have no idea where it is escaping. There is no water showing up through the floor, skirting etc. I presume it is hitting south!!! the ANY IDEAS WELCOME PLEASE

Wearb

joejobrien wrote: »

Hi all,
I have a leak in my CH. system. House built 14 years never a proplem. Now it is zoned upstairs and downstairs, and I can shut off downstairs send heating upstairs and it heats the rads perfectly. When i turn on zone value for downstairs you can hear the water running through the rads unable to heat water as it is pouring out as quick as it is going in:(. But the proplem is I have no idea where it is escaping. There is no water showing up through the floor, skirting etc. I presume it is hitting south!!! the ANY IDEAS WELCOME PLEASE

How is your system replacing the lost water?

joejobrien

there is a small tank in attic approx 5 gls with a ballcork suppling water as needed

Wearb

joejobrien wrote: »

there is a small tank in attic approx 5 gls with a ballcork suppling water as needed

Is there water continuously flowing into that tank? That noise may not on its own signify a leak.

joejobrien

Wearb wrote: »

Is there water continuously flowing into that tank? That noise may not on its own signify a leak.

yes flowing well.

Wearb

joejobrien wrote: »

yes flowing well.

Well then you have a leak. Try and see if you can find it by heating it up and walking around in your bare feet to see if you can find a warm patch. Some younger family members may have more sensitive feet. Failing that, look for damp patches near skirting or outside walls. After that you may need to isolate circuits and pressurise and hope you can hear something. Sometimes a brush handle can be used a little like a stethoscope to try and find a leak. You will need TOTAL silence.
Make sure and check auto air vents and pressure relief valves before going to all the other options.

joejobrien

Wearb wrote: »

Well then you have a leak. Try and see if you can find it by heating it up and walking around in your bare feet to see if you can find a warm patch. Some younger family members may have more sensitive feet. Failing that, look for damp patches near skirting or outside walls. After that you may need to isolate circuits and pressurise and hope you can hear something. Sometimes a brush handle can be used a little like a stethoscope to try and find a leak. You will need TOTAL silence.
Make sure and check auto air vents and pressure relief valves before going to all the other options.

Thanks , but it is impossible to heat as it just doesnt say long enough not to mention heating the water. I can trace 80% of pipe work as when building I carried by perimeter (inside) in a channel , later filled in with a screed on conc. so it would have shown by now. As for outside the dam ground is so wet with continually rainfall I cant pick off anything obovious.
I am think about trying to ioslate some part of the line to narrow it down , but thiss is going to require cutting /breaking and dust and dirt:(

Irish Steve

To get an idea where to start digging, use a length of wood, or a piece of pipe, put one end on the valve of a radiator, pipework side, with the system shut down, and listen to the other end of the piece, literally touch the end to your ear. If the leak is close to the radiator, you should be able to hear it. Try the same thing at the other end of the radiator, then move on to the next rad, and try the same again. Hopefully, depending on what type of pipe has been used underfloor, you should be able to hear a leak that's that big, which will give you an idea where to start looking for it. Had to do one of these recently on a system that was put in with plastic pipe, so the sound didn't carry very far. A joint had completely blown out of the fitting, so was leaking big time.

If this tip doesn't find it, then there are plumbers that have some special sonic equipment that will help tracking this down, and some also have thermal imaging equipment that can help, as long as the system is hot, but I don't know who to suggest in your part of the world, it's a long way to get a plumber to come from Dublin, which is where I know one.


Another tip. When you start digging up floor to find it, make sure you have a wet & Dry vacuum handy, even if the system is shut down, and the valves are all closed to reduce the potential flow, it's surprising how much water can come out of the ground when the leak is exposed, and if you don't have a vacuum handy, the water can stain things like adjacent carpet or similar VERY quickly, and even if you have drained the system down, the drain cock is invariably above floor level, so there will be water that's looking for a way out below the drain level.

shane0007

I found a leak in a kitchen floor week before last with thermal image camera. Was a straight fitting losing about 2 bar in 30 mins.
We only had to break 2 tiles & customer had some.
There's a place in Rathcoole that hires TI cameras for €50 per day if it's close.

joejobrien

shane0007 wrote: »

I found a leak in a kitchen floor week before last with thermal image camera. Was a straight fitting losing about 2 bar in 30 mins.
We only had to break 2 tiles & customer had some.
There's a place in Rathcoole that hires TI cameras for €50 per day if it's close.

Thanks shane, but we are in Limerick.

joejobrien

Irish Steve wrote: »

To get an idea where to start digging, use a length of wood, or a piece of pipe, put one end on the valve of a radiator, pipework side, with the system shut down, and listen to the other end of the piece, literally touch the end to your ear. If the leak is close to the radiator, you should be able to hear it. Try the same thing at the other end of the radiator, then move on to the next rad, and try the same again. Hopefully, depending on what type of pipe has been used underfloor, you should be able to hear a leak that's that big, which will give you an idea where to start looking for it. Had to do one of these recently on a system that was put in with plastic pipe, so the sound didn't carry very far. A joint had completely blown out of the fitting, so was leaking big time.

If this tip doesn't find it, then there are plumbers that have some special sonic equipment that will help tracking this down, and some also have thermal imaging equipment that can help, as long as the system is hot, but I don't know who to suggest in your part of the world, it's a long way to get a plumber to come from Dublin, which is where I know one.


Another tip. When you start digging up floor to find it, make sure you have a wet & Dry vacuum handy, even if the system is shut down, and the valves are all closed to reduce the potential flow, it's surprising how much water can come out of the ground when the leak is exposed, and if you don't have a vacuum handy, the water can stain things like adjacent carpet or similar VERY quickly, and even if you have drained the system down, the drain cock is invariably above floor level, so there will be water that's looking for a way out below the drain level.

That sound advice thks

jimf

joejobrien wrote: »

Thanks shane, but we are in Limerick.

hi joe what part of limerick are you in

you want to pm me I may be able to help im in limk as well

im not a plumber but know a few people who may be able to sort this for you

leakman

Do a google search for leak detection companies in your area, save all the excavation. Cheaper in the long run