Another leaking boiler repair in Wirral, this one was discovered on a routine service visit. This Glow-Worm ultimate boiler is relatively new at only 6 years old, however it had sprung a leak from a rubber seal on a flue joint within the boiler casing. A simple boiler repair as just a replacement washer was required, but left unmaintained this boiler could have been damaged by the recirculation of combustion products.
The steam produced by modern high efficiency condensing boilers will condense in the flue, and should fall back down the flue pipework, into a condensate trap, before exiting the boiler and discharging at a suitable location. This pipework often freezes leading to fault codes, and should be appropriately insulated or better still, terminated internally to mitigate freezing.
If there are any defects in flue seals, this condensation will present as a water leak, and this will need prompt attention by a registered gas engineer to make safe. We often see flues in an unsafe state which means the appliance should be isolated from the gas supply and a warning/do not use label attached.
The water that escapes from flue pipework, or condensate pipework is very corrosive and as a result can rot away flue pipework, copper pipework or boiler casings - if this happens and the problem is not fixed in good time, your boiler may be unrepairable.
Annual servicing visits are well recommended to prevent costly repair bills. this customer caught it just in time before any real damage to the system had occured!
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