Jaguar Boiler leaking from Safety Valve

[wakko]

Hi Guys,
I've recently been having problems with my Jaguar boiler. There is a slight leak (drip, drip) from the safety valve when the central heating is on. The water is dirty, almost black. Obviously because of this leak i'm having to re-fill the central heating quite often. Also i've noticed "thumps" coming from the boiler recently. Other than these issues the boiler is working fine.

After looking through the posts it seems that i could replace the safety valve for about a fiver and re-pressurize the expansion vessel (which could be the cause of the strange thumping sounds).

First question is: Do you think i'm right about the causes of these problems?

Secondly: How do you re-pressurize the expansion vessel?

...Thirdly: How do you go about adding things like inhibitors in a closed loop system like this?

regards,

Brian.

 

[Agile]

You can repressurise the EV but have to do it properly so see FAQ here.

All the other things are a waste of time unless you address the problem with the water. Obviously it really needs power flushing or any lesser treatment which removes the dirt in the system.

I would expect the plate HE is already pretty blocked and the DHW output will be severely reduced as a result.

You seem surprisingly oblivious of the poor state of your system and it will only get worse unless you address the problem seriously.

Tony

 

[wakko]

Agile - Not so obvious if you're not a plumber or heating engineer.

Ok, so first thing is to Power Flush the system and clean it up. I will trawl the forum about how to do this but any advice will be gratefully received.

 

[Agile]

I think that it is fairly obvious that the water should not be black or have bits in it ( unless its black tea! ).

The PRV is leaking because of bits of dirt on the seat. Thats not quite so obvious until its pointed out. It might be possible to just clean it when the water is cleaned.

Look for info in FAQ on power flushing. Other lesser treatments may work.

Tony

 

[wakko]

Thanks Tony. I do understand that the dirt in the water may stop the valve from sealing properly.

What causes the contaminants in the water? Am i right in saying Air leaks are a common cause of this?

The system isn't that old (about 3 years). It's been in since i moved in.

If i go for flushing the system with a "lesser" treatment, how do you inject it into a closed loop system?

 

[kevplumb]

with one of these

 

[Agile]

You should first run the system with the filling valve open and the drain cock open and taken to a drain.

If you run it like that for about an hour or until the water is very clear that will be a good start.

The black dirt is metal oxides, mostly iron from the rads but some copper in there as well.

The dirt indicates that new water full of oxygen has been getting into the system and thats usually because a filling valve has been leaking or left open or the EV is discharged or faulty and causing it to be constantly refilled.

Any problem with a heating system should be addressed as soon as it is noticed before it gets worse.

The next think to happen is for the rads to start leaking!

Tony

 

[wakko]

I'll check for leaks and flush out the system as suggested.

Again, thanks for your advice Tony.

 

[kevplumb]

You should first run the system with the filling valve open and the drain cock open and taken to a drain.

If you run it like that for about an hour or until the water is very clear that will be a good start.

not a lot of use if the drain is on the same pipe

 

[Agile]

Drain cock on the system taken through a hose to a drain gulley outside?

 

[kevplumb]

not a lot of use if the drain is on the same pipe

as the fill loop

 

[Agile]

You should first run the system with the filling valve open and the drain cock open and taken to a drain.

If the system is running then the boiler pump will circulate the water around the rads and ensure that all water is drained off after a while and will also perform some flushing action too.

Tony

 

[Slugbabydotcom]

I've only seen 2 Jaguar boilers and they both have this problem. along with other problems.
For one I have a new PRV and PV ready to fit. These cost less than £70 trade but took 6 weeks to turn up.
The other one has a problem with the diverter and thats just for starters. Because of the poor availabilty of parts its getting ripped out this weekend and will become a boiler full of spares for the first

 

[Agile]

gas valve and almost all the water parts are largly interchangeable with the Ideal Mini C28 and so easily available.

PCB is unique to my knowledge and a nice simple and small unit and I have never known one fail yet.

Tony