URGENT Leaking hot water cylinder pipe

[bluemermaid]

What a good idea Chuck! I will give that a go! Thanks!

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Keep this on topic please @john the plumber

 

[WC1]

I would suggest that the OP contact a reputable local firm and explain the circumstances. They should be able to do the work needed in a way that is safe, while the OP stays in another room and communicates with them by phone if necessary. Leave a window a jar while the work is in progress and give the area they've been in a chance to 'blow through' once they've left.

Yes, spot on!

 

[bluemermaid]

Yes, spot on!

Thank you but I have already replied to this advice.

 

[bluemermaid]

I have been trying to investigate some more, to find exactly where the water is leaking out. I have been feeling inside the circular recess and I can't feel any water on the actual pipe/joins. The water is pooling at the bottom of the circular recess, (the cut out circle on left hand side where pipe goes into cylinder) then dripping down the cylinder to the floor. It feels like it might be coming from cracks in whatever is sealing that recess. I think I could feel cracks in the material (is it concrete or something?) with my fingernail. Again, I am not sure but I think I might have made it worse with my fingernail, as it is dripping faster now! Before, it was dripping about every 12 seconds and now it is dripping about every 6 seconds! Would "Fernox" LSX still be the right material to try and do a temporary fix please?

 

[Ric2013]

It may be hard to plug a leak with LSX if it dripping that fast, but since it's low pressure, may be worth a try. There shouldn't normally be sealing compound used in the manufacture of the cylinder. Is it limescale?

 

[bluemermaid]

Hard to say if it is limescale, because of not being able to actually look at it.

In the first picture in my original post, you can see the blue colour of the cylinder and then what looks like a grey smooth compound inside the cut out circle. From feeling with my fingers, the water is coming from the bottom of that smooth grey compound, (though didn't feel smooth with my fingers), where it joins the bottom of the circular recess. Isn't that some kind of sealant?

I did wonder how the LSX would adhere, when the water is dripping so fast. Some products I have seen say adhere underwater but that sounds too good to be true.

During my investigations, I was able to get right down on the floor and see where the drips (3 of them now - one fast drip, two slow) were hitting the floor underneath the cylinder and I found a plastic box which was small enough to fit there and catch the drips. It fills up too quickly to last overnight though, so I have ordered a bar drip tray (narrow but long, so will fit), which, hopefully, should take longer to fill up. Best method so far, until the tray arrives, is 2 cloths pushed inside the recess, then a bath towel wrapped around the pipe.

Why does it get better when the water is being heated or the central heating is on? Is it to do with expansion that I have read about and why does it get worse if I run a bath? Is that pipe sending hot water from the boiler into the cylinder? As the weather has warmed up, I have had the heating on less, so maybe that's why it has been dripping faster. I'd like to understand the mechanics though.

Out of interest, what would happen if I attempted to turn off the cold water feed to the cylinder? I have seen the red wheel valve higher up but I am scared to try it. I wouldn't be able to drain the cylinder though.

Thanks very much for all your help Ric.

 

[bluemermaid]

PS Is the problem likely to get worse do you think? I am dreading, I might have an emergency in the end.

 

[Ric2013]

I't is possible the pipes flex and have strained the connexion to the cylinder. As you have noted, the pipes expand and contract very slightly with temperature, and, if on a long run...

I'm not sure what running a bath would change. Though the cylinder itself would get cold, the pipes should remain hot if the boiler is firing.

If you turned off the cold feed to the cylinder, the pressure in the cylinder would remain as the vent pipe would be full of water, though if the leak is that bad, the pressure should then fall to some degree once the vent from the cylinder empties (open a hot tap to empty the vent). Assuming you have a good quality gate valve that seals perfectly (they don't always), that is. If you want to try, MAKE SURE THE IMMERSION HEATER CANNOT SWITCH ON - otherwise someone will switch it on and the element will fail (if the water level drops). Sod's law. Risk is that this will airlock the hot pipes afterwards, but if you aren't using hot water for now, that isn't a big problem.

 

[bluemermaid]

Thanks Ric.

What did you mean when you said, "and, if on a long run..."

Hoping I am wrong about the bath then, as that would mean I could go back to having baths again. That is, if I don't try turning off the gate valve. I don't know what you mean about the immersion heater, as there isn't one. Just the cylinder, which the boiler heats the water for. Do you mean the switch which is in the airing cupboard? Should that be switched off if I did decide to attempt to turn off the gate valve? Not sure I want to risk another problem with airlock. Not that I know what happens with an airlock.