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Vented Heating System - Water dripping in back garden.

  • 14-03-2016 10:56am
    #1
    GPBUTLER
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11 ✭


    Hi,

    A couple of days ago, I noticed water dripping into the back garden, from a copper pipe that feeds from the boiler cabinet and through the kitchen wall.
    The pressure gauge above the boiler is reading 3bar with the heating on. I was under the impression I had an open or vented heating system, I have two large tanks in the attic and one small - one of the large tanks supplying the cylinder and the smaller for the radiators.

    The boiler is a Potterton Suprima, just above it is the circulating pump and there is also a red expansion vessel.

    I know very little about heating systems but I presumed the red expansion vessel is normally used in closed systems, to help bled off any excess pressure.....so why then would I have one ?

    The heating will continue to run with a pressure of 3bar, I'm presuming (again!) the pressure relief valve (is cycling to bled off any excess pressure above this value and hence the puddle in the back garden. The pressure can be completely released by manually opening/closing the valve, resulting in more water going out through the copper pipe to the back garden - it's cold water too. The pressure will start to rise again, gets to 3 and water starts to exit into the garden once more. The pressure drops back to zero with the heating off.

    I checked the tank ball cocks in the attic and they both seem to be operating ok. There's no air in the red expansion tank, could this have been installed as an after thought and could it be effecting things ? Should I top it up with air ?

    Any information, help or advice will be greatly appreciated !

    Thanks,
    George.


Comments

  • #2
    0e1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 73 ✭✭0e1


    Sounds like you have a semi-sealed heating system . The red expansion vessel is your issue .This needs to be re-pressurised to what the sticker on its side states .eg 8ltr vessel = .9bar pressure .The system will need to be drained when doing this . If you get water at the test point of the vessel , the diaphragm is burst and the vessel will need to be changed . I'd advise calling a plumber if at all unfamiliar with this .


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