Tips on Finding a Leak in Your Central Heating System

Do you hear strange noises like whooshes or hisses coming from your central heating system? Does your boiler heating system lose its pressure when turning it on? These peculiar sounds might be because of a leak. If your central heating system has a hole, it is highly advisable to call an expert HVAC repair company to fix it before it wreaks havoc to your HVAC unit and the walls and floors around it. You can save time and a considerable amount of money if you can find the leak in your central heating system and show it to the repair professional.

Signs of Water Leak in Your Central Heating System

The first sign you may be experiencing a water leak in the central heating system is when you detect that your boiler needs a constant re-pressuring or topping up. Therefore, if you are in a situation wherein your heating system is annoying you as it is calling for too much re-pressuring or tops ups, you must give some consideration to the possibility of a water leak. Leak detection should be your next move. It might be hard to do, but you don’t have to worry, as this article will give heating leak detection methods to pinpoint the issue accurately.

How Do I Find a Leak in my Heating System?

Top off Your Boiler with Some Water: One practical heating leak detection tip is by filling your boiler with water. This will help you check how long it takes for the water to draw off or drain. Topping off the water on your boiler makes it easy to spot the leak in the central heating system as it will show you how big or small the leak is.

Visually Check Boiler Components/Parts

 Carefully inspect the boiler starting from the bottom to the top for some signs of leak and water damage. You can begin your heating leak detection at the boiler, and then check the fittings and the pipes. Get rid of any covers when needed. If the water damage is not on the outer part, check the feed pipe. If there is a T joint in the feed pipe, ensure to follow both extensions.

Check Carefully the Radiators

Most of the time, water damage on the central heating system is not in the boiler but the radiator. Too much air can rust and decay the radiators, which result in pinhole leaks which can be so hard to find. If you tried all heating leak detection techniques and still can’t spot the water damage in the heating system, there is a possibility that there is no leak at all. It might be due to the drop of pressure because of obstruction in the pipes.

What If You Can Spot the Water Damage in your Central Heating System?

If you have tried all the suggested heating leak detection, you have checked the pressure relief pipe, and the heating expert has examined the boiled and provided you the assurance that there’s no fault there, then there is a high possibility that the damage is in your heating pipes. These leaks can be small and more often than not go unnoticed for several weeks. The water which is seeping out from your system usually is hot and will disperse off, beneath the ground, leaving no noticeable traces that make it harder to spot. The cold and hot expansion which the central heating pipes go in also plays its role in making heating leak detection complicated as some T joints will seep out once they become cold.

Conclusion

Leak detection is a complicated job. It requires knowledge and special tools. To make the process easier and stress-free for you, you need to rely on professional heating leak detection expert.