Is my radiator leaking?

[Chuckles1066]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, what's happening here? The pipe is dry, the carpet is dry and the silver bolt where this seems to originate seems tight. This is the third time that I'm seeing this. I have a suspicion my wife may have given the pipe a whack whilst vacuuming (she's on the clumsy side). Any thoughts / fixes appreciated. Only seems to occur when the heating is on.

 

[dilalio]

If you've cleaned it up and it's reappeared then it's leaking.

Leaks can appear when hot or cold or when transitioning from one to the other as materials expand and contract at different rates.

 

[terryplumb]

Looks like the leak is higher than the silver nut , and coming from under the TRV head.

 

[Chuckles1066]

Thanks for replying - I guess the fix is to tighten the bolt half way up the picture?

 

[terryplumb]

If it's leaking from above that nut there is no point tightening it.
Remove the TRV head (the big white thing) by unscrewing the silver disc beneath it. See if there is any sign of leakage on the top of the valve body.

 

[Madrab]

If that black colour is indicative of the colour of the system's water then I'd suggest there are potentially bigger issues other than a leaky pipe. If that is the case then the system will need flushed otherwise there could be much more expensive issues further down the line.

I'd get someone local, independent and recommended in to have a look and get them to check the valve while they are at it.

 

[Chuckles1066]

The boiler is a year old, was serviced last month and had all the relevant things done at the time (the installer we use is a family business and very trustworthy)......some sort of inhibitor was added to to the system or a magnetic system filter? Plus filled with a solution of Corrosion Proofer.
Sorry, as you can guess my knowledge of plumbing is near to zero

Could the colour be grease/silicon used in the pipe connections?

 

[terryplumb]

Doesn't look black in colour ,more like green.

 

[Chuckles1066]

yeah it is green and oily - I've just hand tightened the silver disc beneath the valve and it moved probably 1-2mm so it wasn't as tight as it could have been....hopefully that'll fix it.....thanks to all who responded, I'm comfortable working with most things but water I keep a million miles away from

 

[terryplumb]

Hand tightening the silver disc will not cure any leak. All that disc does is connect the actuator head onto the valve body.
As already advised ,remove the head and examine what's beneath it, If the leak is there you will need a complete new valve to be fitted.

 

[dilalio]

Pin will be leaking.
They always do.
Remove head and make sure pin moves freely up and down. This may stop the weeping or may not!