Leaking Radiator Valves

Leaking radiator valves can cause problems with the boiler eventually if the leakage is not addressed.

There is nothing worse than coming home from work, only to find you have no hot water for your shower. 

You check the boiler and notice it’s showing a fault code, which translates to low water pressure.

On checking the boiler pressure it reads nearly zero.

This means there must be a leak somewhere, and this is what is causing the boiler pressure to drop.

One of the most common problems with pressurised heating systems is the loss of pressure. 

Once the system losses it’s pressure the boiler will go to lockout, until the pressures topped up again.

Leaking radiator valves are one of the most common problems for pressure loss. 

If your heating system tends to lose pressure on a regular basis, it’s a good idea to check all your radiator valves for leakage.

Check the radiator valves when the system is cold and again when the system is hot.

Should you find any valves leaking you need to arrange to get them either fixed or replaced.

Sometimes it can be an easy fix to stop the leak, other times it requires a drain down.

If you choose to just keep topping the system up, you will be cutting the lifespan of your boiler and eventually, need a new one.

This is due to the fact, that when the boiler was installed, it should have been flushed out and inhibitors added for protection of the new boiler as well as the rest of the heating system.

By keep topping up the system pressure you are putting impurities into the system, which breaks the inhibitors down. 

Eventually, the inhibitors will have been diluted away leaving your boiler and system unprotected.

Once the inhibitors have gone, the water within the system starts to produce hydrogen gas as well as sludge.

The sludge and gas are due to many different metals used within the system and they react with each other once in the water.

Your boiler and system is being attacked from within and will eventually cause a leak somewhere.

You will notice your heating bills start to rise because the boiler has to work a lot harder to produce the heat you require due to the build-up of sludge within.

Should your heating system suffer from any leaking radiator valves, it’s a good idea to have all your radiators valves replaced with new.

To change just one valve will normally require that the system is drained down, so while it is drained,
it’s a good idea to change the rest, it will be cheaper in the long run.

By doing this you will know all valves are new and should not leak.

If you change just the leaking one, then in a couple of months you find another leaking valve,
you will wish you had changed all in the first place because of the expense involved.

Leaking radiators valves may seem a little problem at first,

but if not repaired, it could turn into a big expensive problem.