Pressure keeps dropping.

[Juan Fernando]

Sorry about that, I thought I'd already signed in with the Facebook account.

Since last Friday I've noticed that my boiler is losing pressure and keeps doing it despite manual refilling it.

I put it in the green to about the 1.5 mark but it will drop out the green to the edge of the 1 overnight. Then it will drop really slowly from there. It doesn't show any error codes and the water and heating still come on as normal.

I've checked all around the radiators and they aren't wet and I live in a top floor flat so would have noticed if it was the pipes in the attic leaking through by now.

I did notice quite a few drops coming out the pipe that leads outside last Sunday morning with it in the green. Then slower drips when it had dropped out the green. That's the only place I've seen water coming from.

It's council property and they were due today but no showed.

Does anyone have any clue as to what could be the problem? My main worry is the ceiling having issues if it is from the attic. But after a week it would have surely shown by now.

Thanks

 

[ShaunCorbs]

as its rented/council you cant do anything and theres a small leak somwhere

 

[Juan Fernando]

Could it be where I've seen the water coming out the pipe leading outside? That normally only let's water out when the pressure gets high but it's doing it when it's at 1.5.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Could it be where I've seen the water coming out the pipe leading outside? That normally only let's water out when the pressure gets high but it's doing it when it's at 1.5.

yes i would say so

 

[Dotty]

Agreed, because you're a tenant there's only so far you can go. And because it's a gas boiler that goes doubly so.

You've gone as far as you can go. Keep chasing the council. It's in their best interests to repair the problem.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

i would try and ring them twice a day until they sort it if you can (soon get sick of you and send someone out )

 

[Juan Fernando]

It was supposed to be today but they didn't show then said the last job overran and he'd gone home when I phoned to see what was happening.

Now I have to try again on Monday and hope they actually manage to come out. This was more a peace of mind thing now there's another weekend to put up with it.

Just strange, if I fill it to 1 it'll take days to go down. But in the green at all and it goes overnight. Plus this is all happening a week after the yearly check where he found it all okay. So it's either an unlucky coincidence it's happened or he did something wrong.

 

[Dotty]

Does the pressure increase dramatically when the boiler is firing?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Does the pressure increase dramatically when the boiler is firing?

what he means does it go from 1.5 to 3.5-3.0 bar etc

 

[Juan Fernando]

Not much at all. Say it's just below the 1 line cold when it's firing it'll raise to 1.3.

It hasn't gone higher than that since this started. But the pipe outside is still letting drips out with it that low.

 

[Juan Fernando]

Hi, just thought I'd update as to what's happened.

We finally had someone out yesterday. They tapped and checked the expansion vessel bit on the side and said it had absolutely no air in it. So they pumped it up with a foot pump.

They said to keep an eye on it in case it goes down again if it has then the seal in the vessel will be broken and it will need a new expansion vessel fitting.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

If no water came out you should be fine , just needed a recharge

 

[Stigster]

The pressure relief valve may also be letting by after being tested during the annual check. Sometimes it doesn't re-seat properly after testing due to age or a bit of grit getting under the washer.

 

[Juan Fernando]

Well unfortunately it's still slowly dropping pressure. Got in touch with them yesterday and he's supposed to be bringing a expansion vessel out on Monday afternoon.

I'll mention that about the pressure relief valve while he's here so he can look at that as well.

 

[walterwhite]

Did he drain your boiler when he recharged the expansion vessel?

 

[Juan Fernando]

I'm not sure I left him and his mate to it. While I was there he just tapped the expansion vessel then did something with the small nozzle on the top, said it had no air in then went to get his pump. That's when I left them.

 

[walterwhite]

Just as well it's not your boiler! Council is being ripped off

 

[Juan Fernando]

It was two older chaps in a van that had Sure on the side. They were only here 25 minutes so I assume they just tried the first thing that came to mind and didn't check it over thoroughly.

It's taken two and a half days to drop from the 2.5 they left it on to just above the 1.5 on the pressure gauge.

 

[walterwhite]

They set the pressure at 2.5? It baffles me that there are guys like that actually finding employment

 

[Juan Fernando]

Ours is a old Worcester GreenstarHE boiler, big thing that takes up most of the space beside the fridge. The full green goes from the 1 to the 2 with a thinner green line on the 3.

They set it on the 2 and put the heating on for 10 minutes and it raised to about the 2.5 mark. But now it's nearer the 1.5 and goes to 2 with the heating on.

It's only dropping a bit each day but it's still not right. We live in a upstairs flat so all the pipe work is in the loft. After 2 weeks it would be showing a damp patch now if there was a leak there. It's just that pipe that goes outside that was dripping on and off despite the pressure being low.

 

[electron]

You've just solved the problem. Passing SRV

 

[Juan Fernando]

Well, they came out again Tuesday morning after forgetting on Monday.

They changed the expansion vessel and the pressure relief valve and so far it hasn't gone down again. Near 3 weeks of hassle for a 40 minute job in the end.