3 Main Causes of Boiler Leaks UK

It is very important to ensure that you possess the best boiler available in the market for maintaining the warmth and happiness of your family. Sometimes the boiler in your home can become leaky. There can be a number of reasons for the leakage of boilers.  The reasons can vary from simple old age to faulty installation and corrosion of the internal components.  Three important causes that lead to boiler leakage are discussed below. Contact an emergency heating engineer if you smell gas.

Poorly installed pipework

The pipes that are underneath the boiler will be the first culprit for a leaking boiler. Erosion of the pipes will be the common cause for the leaking of the pipes. The water combines with the metallic waste within the system leading to gaps in pipes through which the water will be leaking. Whether to replace the boiler or to repair it is a tough question which the owner will have to decide himself considering the pros and cons of each option. It is also worth speaking with a plumbing company to also hear valuable advice on which decision to go with.

But if your boiler is a new one then the leak may not be caused by the erosion of the pipes. It can be due to some other reasons like improper fitting of some of the boiler joints. Do not panic. It need not be the result of a cowboy installation. It is quite difficult even for experienced installers to spot leakages in boilers at the time of its installation.

Fixing water leaks below your boiler

Check underneath your boiler for any kind of leaking. If it is a small leak, you will have to feel around the junctions of the pipework for wetness. If there is considerable leakage underneath your boiler it will be necessary to call your engineer and get it fixed by him. You can carefully wrap the leaking areas or place a bucket or bowl underneath the boiler to collect the leaked water.

Problems related to pressure

Boilers which are under too much pressure often break down and create problems. If the pressure is very high, the pressure release valve will automatically release the excess water or the parts will naturally fail.

How to check pressure issues? Most boilers have a pressure gauge on its front side that looks like a low cost speedometer. Reducing the excess pressure can be done by bleeding the system. The first thing one should do in this regard is to check that the filling water tap under your boiler is completely closed.  This will be a simple silver flexi-pipe that has one or two taps. Make sure that these taps are fully closed. Bleeding radiators also needs some special care from your part. For this purpose the person who is carrying out this work needs some confidence and some basic tools. With the help of a bleed key the nut at one end of the radiator has to be loosened so that water from the system starts coming out.

Corrosion in the system

The water pipes and the water cylinders gradually become brittle and start to regenerate. If only one component is corroded the gas safe engineer will be able to change it. But extensive corrosion indicates that it is time to replace the existing boiler by a brand new one. Get your boiler checked by an engineer and weigh up the cost of a new boiler against the cost of complete repairs.

How to fix corrosion?  Fixing the corrosion problems of a boiler is not a thing that can be handled by the owner of a boiler. Whether it will be very costly or whether a new boiler will be the best option etc. are things that has to be decided by a boiler engineer in consultation with the owner of the existing boiler.

source https://www.canterburypipesmartplumbers.co.uk/blog/3-main-causes-of-boiler-leaks-uk/