Vaillant ecoTEC pro 28 boiler losing pressure

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Belfast
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The boiler is approximately 9 years old and has been gradually dropping pressure over the last couple of years.

Originally I had to top up every 3-5 months and this has now reduced to a weekly basis.

At the last service the engineer could not find any leaks in the system or rad joints. He replaced a boiler part, I think it was something like a pressure vessel but this made no difference.

The image shows it fully charged (by accident) , but it is normally kept in the grey area.

Can anyone help please.
 

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Start with basics...filling loop passing ? Is it external or internal ? Disconnect it.
Is that 2nd picture heating on or off ? Is the prv (little copper pipe outside) discharging water ?
 
Sorry but I don't fully understand, what do you mean by "filling loop passing ?" There is a water feed pipe coming from the floor to the boiler with a screw type valve similar to a washing machine on/off. I've noticed that when I turn it to introduce the water and raise the pressure that there is a drop of water comes out but there is no sign of dampness below it.

The filing pipe is under the kitchen cupboard if that's what you mean.

The 2nd picture shows the heating on.

There is no obvious sign of water coming from the prv but as this is a rental property I'm only called in when the heating goes off.

The only other possible clue is that the pressure drops and stops the boiler even when the needle is half way in the grey area of the gauge.
 
The pressure remains in the red nearly a week later but I have noticed a leak from the outlet pipe as shown.

There is a drip every 5 seconds. Could this be the leak or is this drip just the boiler trying to balance out the high pressure?
 

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That pipe is attached to a pressure relief valve inside the boiler. Should not leak (drip) until the pressure in the boiler goes over (normally) 3 bar.

If you have the gauge in the red, the pressure may have gone over 3bar and been vented to outside. However, once they've operated, the pressure relief valves often fail to seal again at lower pressures. I'm assuming you've got the "screw type valve similar to a washing machine on/off" in the off position. If you've left it on the boiler will be continuously filling, and going over 3 bar if your mains pressure is up to it. The pressure should never be in the red. Aim for the mid point of the grey zone with the system cold.

You need to get someone in to service it, and tell them when booking that the PRV is leaking slightly, and that the boiler turns off even if the pressure is in the grey area. I wouldn't necessarily expect it to be fixed in one visit, as other internal parts may need replacing.
 

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