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I'll pop this into the general advice forum as it seems the most active, but mods - feel free to move if there's somewhere more appropriate. Thank you!
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Apologies, but yet another "boiler losing pressure" thread - I've read many others, but am no closer...
Not my boiler (parents), so consider me a proxy. I'm also by no means a heating engineer: I'm just looking for pointers, as my folks are now caught firmly in a circle of finger-pointing, as nobody will take responsibility, it's all someone else's fault, and they're just going around in circles.
~5+ year old Ideal Vogue C32 combi boiler, still under warranty, regularly serviced. Losing pressure over hours (more often) to days (rarely) - mostly overnight, when cold. Has been doing this for ~3 months; boiler has never been 100% reliable, and would sometimes "die" if left unattended for a couple of weeks, especially in cold weather (no further details on the nature of this, merely that it couldn't be relied upon to e.g. keep frost at bay).
No signs of any leaks. No signs of any water egress anywhere (and this has been going on for months, so there's a good chunk of water missing - imagine 50 to 100 filling cycles). No water coming out of the external pipework (plastic bag over the end, dry). No plasterboard staining or damage. No corrosion on any valves. No wet grout where pipes go through screed in kitchen. No signs of damp around or below the boiler.
On manufacturer's advice, boiler has been isolated and repressurised. Still loses pressure. Suggests boiler at fault.
PRV has been changed. Heat exchanger has been changed. Diverter cartridge has been changed. No improvement - getting worse, if anything.
Heating side has been isolated and pressure tested, and also tracer gas used - no leaks found. Thermal imaging shows no leaks or hot spots in the pipework. Reopening system showed tracer gas coming out of boiler flue.
On occasions, pressure appears to increase by ~0.25 bar for a brief period before dropping back. This is likely to be when the heating is on, though, so may be "normal".
Thoughts? What can it be except the boiler, given the isolation test? And, if not the PRV or heat exchanger, what else? Expansion vessel? Dodgy pump, perhaps sticking and causing the PRV to vent (but where's the water gone?)? Fairy folk sneaking in for a drink at midnight? Given the repeated refilling of the system, and the lack of any water damage, I'd have assume that the water is evaporating, which still points a finger at the heat exchanger, but I'm at the end of my knowledge now.
Genuine thanks in advance for any thoughts, as this is causing significant grief for an elderly couple...
---
Apologies, but yet another "boiler losing pressure" thread - I've read many others, but am no closer...
Not my boiler (parents), so consider me a proxy. I'm also by no means a heating engineer: I'm just looking for pointers, as my folks are now caught firmly in a circle of finger-pointing, as nobody will take responsibility, it's all someone else's fault, and they're just going around in circles.
~5+ year old Ideal Vogue C32 combi boiler, still under warranty, regularly serviced. Losing pressure over hours (more often) to days (rarely) - mostly overnight, when cold. Has been doing this for ~3 months; boiler has never been 100% reliable, and would sometimes "die" if left unattended for a couple of weeks, especially in cold weather (no further details on the nature of this, merely that it couldn't be relied upon to e.g. keep frost at bay).
No signs of any leaks. No signs of any water egress anywhere (and this has been going on for months, so there's a good chunk of water missing - imagine 50 to 100 filling cycles). No water coming out of the external pipework (plastic bag over the end, dry). No plasterboard staining or damage. No corrosion on any valves. No wet grout where pipes go through screed in kitchen. No signs of damp around or below the boiler.
On manufacturer's advice, boiler has been isolated and repressurised. Still loses pressure. Suggests boiler at fault.
PRV has been changed. Heat exchanger has been changed. Diverter cartridge has been changed. No improvement - getting worse, if anything.
Heating side has been isolated and pressure tested, and also tracer gas used - no leaks found. Thermal imaging shows no leaks or hot spots in the pipework. Reopening system showed tracer gas coming out of boiler flue.
On occasions, pressure appears to increase by ~0.25 bar for a brief period before dropping back. This is likely to be when the heating is on, though, so may be "normal".
Thoughts? What can it be except the boiler, given the isolation test? And, if not the PRV or heat exchanger, what else? Expansion vessel? Dodgy pump, perhaps sticking and causing the PRV to vent (but where's the water gone?)? Fairy folk sneaking in for a drink at midnight? Given the repeated refilling of the system, and the lack of any water damage, I'd have assume that the water is evaporating, which still points a finger at the heat exchanger, but I'm at the end of my knowledge now.
Genuine thanks in advance for any thoughts, as this is causing significant grief for an elderly couple...
