For this property in Leatherhead, we came back for a return visit after the customers plumber had undertaken some remedial work after our original findings. The customer wants us to use tracer gas for the detection and a full service taken.
On visible inspection there was no signs of water damage or signs of a water leak throughout the house. The heating engineer had repaired the boiler, there was no water dripping out of the PRV outlet.
We performed a moisture test on the area surrounding the radiator.
The area in the corner of the lounge where the radiator is measured 999 on the walls and floors below the carpet, this indicates the area is wet.
We inserted tracer gas into the central heating via the radiator in the bathroom, the tracer gas was found continuously releasing out of the concrete below the radiator in the lounge at 20ppm.
We proceeded to access and repair the leak, we broke away the concrete screed below the radiator in the lounge, where we found the leak on the 15mm copper pipe. We cut out a section of the 15mm copper pipe and fitted a new section in its place using a solder fitting.
After we made the repair, the area was inspected for leaking tracer gas, no tracer gas was found leaking after the repair was made.
In conclusion, the pressure loss on the central heating system was sue to the leak on the 15mm copper pipe below the concrete under the radiator.
We recommended to the customer that they should contact a specialist contractor experienced in water damage redemption to reverse the water damage that accoutred because of the leak.
We also recommended to the customer that they had their plumber inspect the copper pipe which we repaired, this is because the pipe was in poor condition as it wasn’t lagged, this could lead to more leaks in the future.