Urgent advice needed about hot water

[drip-dry]

Think you are barking up the wrong tree in the wrong forest ,but a very good argument for landlords to get into another business

 

[BobbyJoe]

 

[Jones82]

Closing or altering the valve you mention can't possibly affect the attributes of the water leaving the boiler. An example of this would be running a cold tap, half close the tap, has the attributes or chemical composition of the water changed? No, all you are doing is restricting the flow of water, changing its volume, not its composition.


It is possible that plumbing or heating water could be irritant to your skin. Possibly due to a chemical, perhaps an additive used either to maintain or install the system, being present in the pipes.


However the very fact that you noticed a difference just by adjusting the flow disproves this theory. I'm afraid your symptoms appear to be coincidental, most likely related to a food or animal allergy. Or even brought on by stress?


To absolutely prove this theory, without doubt, take a sample of the hot water and have it tested, you could also ask friends and family to try using the hot water.

 

[BobbyJoe]

12345

 

[SimonG]

67890

 

[BobbyJoe]

First an update of events so far, the good news is I have been using cold water from the kitchen tap and guess what no more cuts on my hands, ears, legs etc.. dry skin is getting better with the rash almost disappearing and no itching yet. I have noticed a big difference especially today and the only thing I have done is use water and boiled it from the cold tap in the kitchen nothing else. I can’t express how much better I feel as I have been hiding and covering up for months as it looked so bad being covered in band aids!

I called the boiler customer service depo and spoke to a technical person who suggested this from what I could remember, cross contamination may be due to Non Return Valve being open and the system water is mixing with the cold water going into the boiler but leaving the cold water supply uncontaminated. The NRV has been fitted the wrong way around it’s either to the cold mains or central heating feed because the NRV allows medium flow in one direction which prevents backflow in domestic water. It isn’t the boiler which is the issue but things have been put in the wrong way around by the installer is what he told me.

An engineer is hopefully coming out next week, I also found out the last tenant only stayed for 6 months then moved out because he was getting sick (I don’t want to speculate but perhaps the hot water was also affecting him). The flat was empty for months before I moved in and the combi boiler was switched off from the mains, the landlord put it on when I moved in.

I will pay for an engineer and so far I can think of these things to ask him/her to check, DHW outlet/inlet valves, CH return/flow, DHW non return valve, set flow outlet temp, DHW outlet temp. Is there anything else in particular I should get them to definitely check as paying is not my concern but sorting this out is. Also are there any other places NRV’s would be placed that I should be aware of, many thanks.

(The flat had a gas fire place and cylinder boiler with a storage water tank before the combi boiler was installed a few years ago)

 

[Riley]

Can't be from the heating side as you removed the filling loop

 

[BobbyJoe]

Besides under the kitchen sink where else is a stopcock located within a flat? (NRV on the rising main to prevent backflow)

 

[Riley]

Backflow from what I'm missing the point

 

[Masood]

cross contamination may be due to Non Return Valve being open and the system water is mixing with the cold water going into the boiler but leaving the cold water supply uncontaminated. The NRV has been fitted the wrong way around it’s either to the cold mains or central heating feed because the NRV allows medium flow in one direction which prevents backflow in domestic water. It isn’t the boiler which is the issue but things have been put in the wrong way around by the installer is what he told me.

This is where I was going with closing the valves and removing the hose from the filling loop. Now you've done that, this theory is blown out of the water. The only other place where there is a possibility of primary/fresh water cross-contamination is within the plate heat exchanger if it is ruptured internally but the likelihood of that being the case is very small, and you would be seeing several other symptoms first.

Whatever you do, make sure that you get a Gas Safe registered engineer in, and DO NOT ALLOW YOUR DIY NEIGHBOUR TO MEDDLE. You would BOTH be breaking the law if you do that again.