Internal leak sealing liquid

[WaterTight]

For adding to central heating system and sealing leaks in inaccessible places.

Anyone ever tried this? Seen it advertised. Don't need to use any or anyting, just wondered if it works.

And actually, how it works...

 

[obseen16]

i have in the past used the fernox F3 leak sealer, it looks a little bit like pva glue and have a thick consistency, the way i think it works is that because its thick it basically blocks up the leaks, as it is circulated round the system, im not over keen on the stuff as it can block plate heat exchangers in combis or so ive been told, but the times i have used it on ch systems its never failed to stop the leaks. but is only works on small leaks i.e 1 drip per second or less.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

no way would i use anything like this

 

[kay-jay]

sounds like throwing an egg in a leaky car radiator. works but would you really want it doin to your property??????

 

[ferret]

there,s nothing wrong with it at all and i would recommend everyone uses it in an old system that is being sealed , it does not interfere with the running and does exactly what it says , seals small leaks that cannot be seen or traced in a system , a godsend in the world of social housing and the like.

 

[Toddyplumb]

Must admit to using it twice .
Once on a hideaway heat exchanger leaking December 23rd 2005 worked a treat . We are fitting a new boiler there next week it has held all this time.
And last year on a leak somewhere on heating pipework all buried in the concrete floor

 

[ferret]

i even used it on my sons moped when he holed the radiator with a stone , instant seal and lasted the life of the bike,

 

[WaterTight]

ok, sold

 

[Dannypipe]

It works, but has to be a last resort.

 

[Gray0689]

It works, but has to be a last resort.

As danny says
I have used it and it does work but has to be of a last resort

 

[ferret]

why should it be a last resort ? if you add it with the inhibitor on completion you.ll not have to return for any old leaks that the system had before you pressurised it or any niggling pressure loss calls , and for a tenner its worth it everytime ,

 

[Dannypipe]

Frankly to just chuck it in with the inhibitor everytime I complete an install seems to under rate the competance I have. I don't mean to sound rude, but it's very rare that I'll get calls about pressure losses.

If I do get a call, if it's an old system I'd look at the rad valves, the pressure relief valve and check to see if the expansion vessel was ruptured internally in that order. If its a new system I would have air tested it first, so it wouldn't occur.

As said by someone else, it could potentially sludge up plate heat exchangers, and if it doesn't HAVE to be in the system, then I won't put it in there. That's why its a last resport.

 

[obseen16]

yeah i would never put it in with the inhibitor just for the hell of it. have you seen what happens to the stuff when it doesn't find a leak, put some in a jam jar and leave it to rest for a couple of weeks, it starts to look like thick snot (the type your little toddlers have running down their noses at this time of year) and it clings to itself, think of it like a blood clot for ch systems

 

[ferret]

dont be daft , you think fernox would make something like that , or dont your systems circulate to allow it to settle like you say? titter ye not it is a great product and does not cause any problems just cures.
ps ...if anyone from fernox is reading , send any advertising monies to............lol

 

[Centralheatking]

We had to use leaksealer (fernox) on a combi system that developed a leak but finding it
would have meant pulling up the laminate flooring which was everywhere. This was 3 years
ago and the system has held pressure with an occasional top up by the housholder.

centralheatking

 

[goldencapman]

I strongly endorse obseen16's posting ....I tried leak sealer a year or two back - hoping to overcome leaks in copper pipes buried in concrete since the mid-seventies (it didn't work - the leaks kept coming - one by one, the solder joints gave way!) I've now bowed to the inevitable, and am in the middle of replumbing all my rads from a new loft circuit. I've just spent a very unpleasant few hours dealing with a blockage of my feed and expansion pipe, following a system drain and refill. The blocking matter was a glutinous mass, sitting on the bottom of the F&E tank, the consistency of thick, cold custard - come to think of it, thick snot about covers it! Because I didn't realise that the system had only partially refilled, the boiler blasted steam back up the F&E pipe. Mercifully, no damage appears to have been caused, but some of the muck got into the new loft circuit, preventing the rest of the system from filling. Eventually the head of water in the F&E tank slowly pushed the muck down into the boiler, and I assumed that the turbulence in the boiler, coupled with the pump action would break up the sludge, and the system now seems OK. I'm not confident that the presence of this stuff in any system won't "as it says on the tin" block air vents and air bleed screws. I'd say that if you've used leak sealer in a system with an F&E tank, ALWAYS clean out the F&E tank before refilling. It won't be pleasant job, but it can save you a lot of time and trouble!