Boiler pipe leaking, should I be concerned?

[ianmcd]

can you post a pic of your filling loop assembly both ends

 

[Londoner100]

can you post a pic of your filling loop assembly both ends

Here you go...

 

[Mister Banks]

Is it ?? Looks like the copper pipe to the left is indicated with a red line ?

Oops, my mistake I didn’t see the pipe next to the condensate pipe

 

[ianmcd]

Get a feeling there is a red Herring in your post somewhere, that pipe only discharges water in the case of the pressure getting too high, either through an expansion problem or the filling loop passing, or a plate heat exchanger problem,or the boiler PRV passing, but in all cases the pressure guage would be higher than that pic you posted,or you would have to constantly be adding pressure, how often do you add pressure to the system ?

 

[Londoner100]

Get a feeling there is a red Herring in your post somewhere, that pipe only discharges water in the case of the pressure getting too high, either through an expansion problem or the filling loop passing, or a plate heat exchanger problem,or the boiler PRV passing, but in all cases the pressure guage would be higher than that pic you posted,or you would have to constantly be adding pressure, how often do you add pressure to the system ?

I've not had to top up the pressure since I've moved here a few months ago although I did have a look when I moved in and the pressure was between 1 and 2. Annoyingly I didn't get a chance to see what the pressure was before the boiler service recently so didn't see whether it had dropped and/or if the engineer had topped it up.

I will monitor the pressure over the next few days and report back early next week. I am also still waiting for the engineer to get back to me regarding his explanation

 

[RandomGrinch]

I'm still interested in where the pipe actually goes - normally, there would be an outlet, something like:

Do you have a visible outlet like this? Is it dripping water?

 

[Londoner100]

I'm still interested in where the pipe actually goes - normally, there would be an outlet, something like:
View attachment 300897
Do you have a visible outlet like this? Is it dripping water?

Have you seen the pics at the start of this post? The pipe that leaks goes to just above the floor and stops, hence the leak on the floor.

No there is no outlet like that

 

[RandomGrinch]

The pipe that leaks goes to just above the floor and stops, hence the leak on the floor.

Sorry, I thought the pipe turned, or went straight into the floor - I thought the leak was from a bad joint/corrosion, I didn't see that the pipe stopped above the floor.

 

[SpecialK]

Can you put some tissue paper around the bottom of the pipe but not at the end of the pipe? Perhaps water is dripping down the external of the pipe?

 

[Londoner100]

Can you put some tissue paper around the bottom of the pipe but not at the end of the pipe? Perhaps water is dripping down the external of the pipe?

I did that when I first saw the leak and it is definitely coming from inside the pipe, not externally

 

[Londoner100]

Ok as promised last week, here is an update on the boiler pressure...

As you can see from post #13, the pressure is still the same, it has even gone up slightly. (One thing I have noticed during monitoring the pressure the past few days is that the needle does drop a bit but always returns back to its current level in the pic. It never drops below 1 bar though. I assume this is normal?)

So as the pressure doesn't seem to be affected, what do we think it could be? I am still waiting for the engineer to get back to me

 

[Londoner100]

The gas engineer has finally come back to me with an explanation, (well not even the engineer but his secretary ). He has said that the leak is coming from the heat exchanger and it's not something he would repair as he is not familiar with Ariston boilers. Does that make any sense to any of you?

 

[CBW]

He has said that the leak is coming from the heat exchanger and it's not something he would repair as he is not familiar with Ariston boilers. Does that make any sense to any of you?

Nope, if it was leaking via the heat exchanger it would be running down the condensate pipe, not the safety discharge pipe.

 

[Londoner100]

Nope, if it was leaking via the heat exchanger it would be running down the condensate pipe, not the safety discharge pipe.

Thanks. I do feel like he's full of sh*t.

It's almost 3 weeks since he did the service. After chasing him for an explanation, he wouldn't call me as he was "too busy" so I had to go through his secretary. The first time she came back and told me that he said I need to replace the boiler as it's too costly to repair. I was thinking you what? On the day he serviced he said it was nothing to worry about and now he is saying I need a new boiler? She couldn't give me any more info so I told her can he please call me as that doesn't make sense and I want to understand what the pipe is, why it's leaking, etc.

After more chasing, finally get a call this morning saying he said it's the heat exchanger and he won't fix it but can install a new boiler. If I want a repair I'd be better of seeking an Ariston specialist.

The strange thing here is the boiler service was fine and he left that day telling me the boiler is running efficiently and although quite old, is running well. The flue analysis also indicated that the boiler was running efficiently. No mention of any risks or defects.

 

[CBW]

Personally I would obtain a different engineer, imo, you’re being sold a boiler unnecessarily. How much did you pay for a service, if you don’t mind me asking? Was it definitely a service carried out or more of a safety check?