Mysterious Megaflo

[Axel]

A year ago, I, or rather , my wife noticed water damage on the kitchen wall. There was a trickle coming from the bottom rim of my Megaflo. This would come and go until I noticed it was discharging. After recharging the airbubble every month, I fitted an external expansion vessel, which solved the problem, and the leak, until today. I have finally, after a year of investigation, found the leak! I went mad with the tin snips and finally located a faulty seam weld at the bottom of the port the extrudes out of the main cylinder for the immersion.

It's a Mark3 and is 15 years old..dunno if Megaflo are interested in it as a faulty manufactured item?!

Anyway, any thoughts as to what to use to stop the leak? I've heard you can solder stainles steel, but to heat it I'd need to get the immersion out, which might upset the seam even more as it's a bloody tight immersion to get loose.

Chemical metal, perhaps, or does anyone know of any seriously high tech sealing adhesive type gunk that will bond and seal the stainless steel? View media item 8511 View media item 8512

 

[Andy165]

Time to get a new one. If your car was 15 years old and badly leaking oil, would you carry on with it ?

 

[Dan Robinson]

I thought you were changing this ages ago?

There is nothing your gonna do to this that is going to be safe.

 

[doitall]

A good welder could patch it.

 

[Dan Robinson]

cheeky...

 

[Axel]

It stopped leaking for quite a while. Now, as it is a tiny drip which trickles slowly, it is not so much a safety issue as long term water damage from the dripping. If I can plug this leak, there is surely no reason to change it yet?

Do you really think that this tiny leak at a faulty weld could make it one day rip open and take the roof off?

 

[Axel]

Time to get a new one. If your car was 15 years old and badly leaking oil, would you carry on with it ?

Wait till you see my car! Maybe I'll post some images from underneath the engine...!

 

[doitall]

Don't the things have a 25year warranty

 

[Dan Robinson]

I don't see why you would take the risk. If the seam has gone at one point, what's to stop it peeling back like a banana? Spontaneously...

 

[Axel]

It's not at a seam, it's the circular weld where the immersion flange is welded to the main cylinder body. The weld is mechanically sound and strong. It's just that there is a tiny path where it was never quite welded properly, like a pinhole, and it is letting water through slowly.

 

[Axel]

Besides, my spare £ 750 quid I need to find to renew my wife's visa this year!!

 

[Dan Robinson]

finally located a faulty seam weld at the bottom

A failed weld is a failed weld.

An unvented cylinder is not worth messing about with.

 

[Andy165]

Axel, are you related to that roman general Titus Meanus (no to spending money). Give the credit crunch a boost and buy a new unvented cylinder complete with modern efficient "saving the planet " controls, giving us installers more work to help pay to keep the local pubs running If you try to pay someone to drain down and repair your existing cylinder you are pouring good money after bad without a guaranteed result. Even Megaflo tech. helpline would tell you to get real with your expectations. And get a new car aswell Get with the groove and help solve this credit crunch single handedly

 

[Axel]

Axel, are you related to that roman general Titus Meanus (no to spending money). Give the credit crunch a boost and buy a new unvented cylinder complete with modern efficient "saving the planet " controls, giving us installers more work to help pay to keep the local pubs running If you try to pay someone to drain down and repair your existing cylinder you are pouring good money after bad without a guaranteed result. Even Megaflo tech. helpline would tell you to get real with your expectations. And get a new car aswell Get with the groove and help solve this credit crunch single handedly

Lend us a fiver, mate!



I don't have £ 500 to buy a new Megaflo, even off ebay! I have a 1200 quid gas bill to pay, and blah blah etc - I don't have the money, otherwise yes, I would chuck in a lovely new CL250. Without the means to purchase this item , I shall be going to the hardware store to spend £3 on a tube of chemical metal and drain the cylinder and stick it on and see if it stops the intermittent drip. The down side of this is that I must keep an eye on it from time to time, but unless you have got a spare wad of notes carelessly falling out of the back of your van, then sadly I must remain a victim rather than a hero of this "credit crunch".

 

[Andy165]

No offence intended Axel. Have tried some of these "sealing " paste cures in the past but they don,t work under mains pressure or on old systems . Have you tried for help on the EAGA or Warmfront Grant schemes? Look them up on google.