- Do not ignore a leaking boiler.
These problems don't just go away.
Let's see if we can help diagnose
and fix your leaking boiler.
(swooshing)
(soft music)
Hi, I'm Dan from iHeat.
In today's video,
we will be running through some possible reasons
why your boiler may be leaking and how to fix it.
As soon as you notice your boiler is leaking,
we would always recommend turning off your stop tap.
This is where your water supply comes into your home.
Your water main is usually located near your water meter
outside at the front of your house
near the boundary of your home,
or sometimes in a close vicinity to a garden tap.
When you notice that your boiler is leaking,
the first question you should ask is,
should I repair or replace my boiler?
The answer to that is entirely up
to the reason why it's leaking.
Depending on location of your boiler,
you could be facing a serious leak in your home.
It can also lead to the growth of mold
and fungi from the moisture, which is bad for air quality.
Though, these may be extreme scenarios,
you don't want to take a chance with a leaking boiler.
So your first point of action should be
to seek help from an engineer.
However, there are several different reasons
why your boiler may be leaking,
but if your boiler is old, covered in corrosion
and looks like it belongs in a junkyard,
then maybe it's time to replace it.
But if it's not, then you can try
and find the cause of the leak.
With that said, let's take a look
at some of the most common issues
when it comes to leaking boilers.
Most of the time when your boiler is leaking
the first thing you need to do
is to check the pipes that are underneath the boiler.
They are typically the main suspects.
This can happen naturally over time
or it could be a result of badly installed pipes.
In the case of older boilers,
it is normal to experience leaking over time.
The water in the boiler and the pipes is combined
with a metallic debris.
This results in natural corrosion to the copper pipes.
This corrosion can lead to small gaps in the pipework
and this will cause water to leak out.
If you don't have a magnetic filter installed,
such as this ADEY Pro 2Micro,
free with every install from iHeat, then get one.
This can seriously help you get the gunk of your system.
However, if you have a new boiler
that has just been installed
and you are already experiencing leakage,
then it is safe to assume that corrosion is not the problem.
Rather, you have received a poor installation
from your engineer.
If this is the case, you should immediately reach out
to your engineer to rectify the issue.
But before you go pointing the finger, keep in mind
that it may not necessarily be the engineer's fault.
This is why it is important to use a reputable company
that has qualified gas-safe professionals
that can handle all these services.
This may come as a surprise to some people,
but boilers, just like many other devices,
cannot handle too much pressure.
Too much pressure in the boilers simply means
that there is too much water being used
and to relieve itself, it has to go somewhere
so the system may leak.
Fortunately, most boilers have a press gauge
on the front of the device.
It usually has a green marking
that displays the right levels of pressure for your boiler.
On some of the newer Worcester, Bosch
and Viessmann boilers, these are now built
directly into the digital screen on the front.
They do also have a backup mechanical gauge,
which you can access by taking off the front of the boiler.
If the pressure on your gauge is too low,
then we have a separate video
on how to top up your boiler's pressure here.
You will need to address the leak on the system
before topping up the pressure
as this could make things worse.
If the dial is too high,
then you're dealing with too much pressure in your system.
This can be treated by bleeding the radiator
to remove some of the water in your system.
All you have to do is to turn one of the release valves
on one of your radiators.
This is something you can do
without the help of a heating engineer.
In some cases, if the boiler pressure becomes too high,
then internal parts of the boiler can fail.
This can leave you with a leaking or broken boiler.
This is when the costs start to rack up.
A heat exchanger allows heat to be exchanged
between two fluids or substances.
In this case, gas and water.
Simply put, this means transferring the heat
from gas to the water that will be circulating
around your home to the radiators and hot water tank.
The heat exchanger is one
of the most expensive parts of a boiler.
So when the heat exchanger is faulty,
it is probably one of the worst things to cause leakage.
In old or low quality boilers,
it is possible for the heat exchanger
to fail, crack or come to other damage.
Now, if it is a fault of the heat exchanger
it can be replaced by a professional.
However, since the heat exchanger is quite expensive
it might be a better value if you get a new boiler instead.
If you're looking for a new boiler,
you can head over to iheat.co.uk
for a fixed price quote and installation as fast tomorrow.
Boilers aren't made to last forever
so it is possible that over time,
the seals and the pump have corroded.
This will surely prevent them from functioning well,
and it will leave your boiler vulnerable to internal damage.
When your boiler has internal leaks,
it can cause the boiler to leak water rapidly.
This can result in a real safety issue in your home.
Again, it is always best to call an engineer
as soon as you notice an issue.
They will be able to take a look at your internal part
to the boiler, to determine the cause of the water leak.
Now, this is a typical problem
that almost all boilers need to face.
If you notice that it is leaking,
then it could be giving signs that it needs to be replaced.
After a while, the copper pipes of your boiler
will have decayed.
This can naturally cause leaks in the pipe work.
You may be able to fix a minor leak temporarily,
but major leaks can become dangerous
if handled incorrectly.
Leave this to a registered gas-safe engineer to fix.
Another question you may have asked is,
at what point should I replace my boiler?
If your boiler continues to leak after several fixes,
you might be tempted to replace it.
That's understandable.
However, it is possible that your boiler is only leaking
because of another part of a central system
that wasn't repaired properly in the first place.
Replacing your boiler should be the last resort
when you are all out of options.
The only time you should replace a boiler
is when you have confirmed with an engineer
and you're sure that replacing it
will help prevent future occurrences,
or if the boiler is badly damaged beyond repairs.
One thing you can do to prevent future boiler leaks
is to get your boiler serviced every year.
And this is an important part of a boiler ownership.
This will help you to ensure minor issues are caught
and fixed before they develop into major issues.
We hope you got some helpful information
and you enjoyed the video.
You can drop a comment below to share your boiler leak story
and how you are able to rectify it.
Don't forget to like, share and subscribe to our channel.
You can also press the notification bell,
so you never miss an upload.
It is a lot cheaper than fixing a leaking boiler.
Thanks for watching,
and I'll see you in our next video.