2 radiators with pinhole leaks within 2 weeks

adocholiday

Hi all,

I'll try to summarise the situation as simply as possible:

• House built in 2000, all pipework for central heating (plastic) was put in the floor at the time. However the owner didn't install a boiler/rads, just used electric storage heaters, so the pipes were left dry under the floor.
• In April 2019 we had a plumber install OFCH using the existing pipework in the ground. Everything in the system was brand new except for the plastic pipework.
• During this installation a number of leaks in the underfloor pipework were found and repaired. Since then the heating has been stable aside from requiring the odd top up from the filler valve (it was maybe losing up to 5 psi/0.4 Bar every 4 months or so). Pressure was more or less maintained at 20psi/1.4 Bar.
• 2 weeks ago one radiator failed with a pinhole leak. Isolated the rad, refilled the system to 20psi and have watched it since. No change in pressure was noted.
• This morning another one failed with a pinhole leak.

The plumber that did the installation for us doesn't work in the area anymore so I can't get him back out. A family friend who is a plumber reckons that there is air getting into the system somewhere causing the radiators to rust from the inside out, and it might account for having to occasionally refill the system, but he lives 3 hours away so can't come to check. Anyone have experience or knowledge with this? At this stage it's looking like I'll have to replace every radiator at this stage, but hoping that's the extent of it if we can isolate and resolve the issue.

Doolittle51

Maybe he didn't add any inhibitor to the system. Have you drained any of the rads? If the water is really dirty it suggests a high level of corrosion.

adocholiday

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118564838#Comment_118564838

Not sure if he added inhibitor or not. But the water that came out of both radiators was crystal clear, just had a strong metallic smell. I had put that down to the fact that I've been topping off the system on occasion and that the rads and copper piping was all new.

Sleeper12

The big question here is who supplied the rads? You or the plumber?

adocholiday

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118565366#Comment_118565366

The plumber supplied the rads, but they came from a reputable supplier and they were delivered to site brand new. I don't think the rads are of a low quality or anything, I think there's some mad corrosion going on and that's what my plumber friend thinks because the failures are so close together. He reckons that they're all going to develop leaks within the next month or 2.

Crystal clear water doesn't sound like rust, and they are relatively new anyway. Are you sure it's the rads rather than where connected to the pipework - the valves?

Sleeper12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118565635#Comment_118565635

The reason I ask is that if the plumber supplied the rads then if there is a manufacture fault then he is responsible. He in turn goes to his supplier & so on. The rads aren't even 3 years old yet. Some rads come with up to 10 year warranty. It's up to the original plumber to replace them if they are faulty even if he has to drive 3 hours.

You are topping up the rads by so little that it can't be blamed on air of fresh water in the heating system. Have you or your neighbors had the water quality tested? I wonder is something in the water. Old owner might have known this. It would explain why he opted for using much more expensive storage heaters rather than rads

Doolittle51

Where on the rad is the pinhole leak? Is it near a weld? Any pictures?

adocholiday

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118565728#Comment_118565728

Yes definitely the rad itself, the water was coming from the bottom of the rad itself not the valves or the floor.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118565739#Comment_118565739

The plumber isn't in the country any more so I'll get nowhere there. I know where he got the rads though so maybe I could go to the supplier directly? It's a supplier open to the general public.

In terms of water quality I'm on my own well and the water was tested about 18 months ago but that was for human consumption. No abnormalities were found but I suppose it could be possible that there's a high level of some mineral or other causing issues with the rads. I might get that checked out.

adocholiday

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118566014#Comment_118566014

Not sure exactly where on the body of the rad itself. Both of them are still on the walls so I'll open the valves on one later to see if I can get a pic of where it's coming out.