Our boiler is needing to be topped off daily. The employees told us this is an existing problem that the previous owner knew about but didn’t fix, but did mention that the leak seems to be worse than before and it’s in the floor in one of the self serve bays. Until we are able to locate and repair the leak is glycol required? It’s very expensive at the rate that it’s being lost. Also is there a better way to pinpoint the leak? I’m guess thermal camera but not sure if they work in concrete.
Boiler losing anti freeze
- Thread starter Jaltavela
- Start date
kentadel
Active member
I would isolate, if possible, your floor heat runs 1 at a time to determine which run is leaking. You may luck out or buy time if it is possible to keep from freezing without that run. Infrared detector is another way to find the leak.
DiamondWash
Well-known member
This may help temporarily until you permanently fix the leak.
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Eric H
Well-known member
Thermal image camera will probably be your best bet. These images are from my Flir camera. 2nd pic shows the leak as a big blob of heat. I do have a very small leak at one site that is so small it take all summer to leak the antifreeze out of. I think I know where the leak is but haven’t done anything about it.
cbchevy4x4
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I had to deal with this last year at a site i took over in april.
1st if its leaking that much to be topped off daily id isolate which loop it is and turn it off. I started by turning off 1/3 of my loops and keeping 2/3 on. The second day of turning them off i had isolated the group it was in. It was just a process of elimination after that by leaving them all on and turning 1 loop off at a time from that group. Took me about 3 days to figure it out.
2nd once you isolate the loop you can either deal with it or not.
I have 1 loop at another site that i disabled maybe 10 years ago and isnt problematic as the way those loops are run i get enough residual from the other loops that i very seldom have ice issues and if the conditions are right i can simply shut that bay down.
The last repair i did i used my thermal to locate the leak area, I did it at night so there was no solar radiation affecting the thermal images. The first time i was trying to get a general idea of area and looked for a bigger blob. The second time since the general area was located, if you watch it closely as it heats up you will begin to see a pool of heat that radiates outward rather than the straight lines from the tubings. i was able to isolate to within 6" of where the leak was. It took some time after locating but i used a pneumatic air hammer to slowly chip the concrete away in the area. Once the tubing was located i turned the boiler back on and the leak presented itself from one side of the baseball sized area of concrete i had removed. I contiunued with the air hammer until i had an area approximately 3" to 4" wide and 12" to 15" long removed. Got a couple barbed fittings and clamps repaired and tested the leak and used hydraulic cement to fill the area back in.
I definately would not go crazy with a jack hammer as you will probably mess something else up in the process.
1st if its leaking that much to be topped off daily id isolate which loop it is and turn it off. I started by turning off 1/3 of my loops and keeping 2/3 on. The second day of turning them off i had isolated the group it was in. It was just a process of elimination after that by leaving them all on and turning 1 loop off at a time from that group. Took me about 3 days to figure it out.
2nd once you isolate the loop you can either deal with it or not.
I have 1 loop at another site that i disabled maybe 10 years ago and isnt problematic as the way those loops are run i get enough residual from the other loops that i very seldom have ice issues and if the conditions are right i can simply shut that bay down.
The last repair i did i used my thermal to locate the leak area, I did it at night so there was no solar radiation affecting the thermal images. The first time i was trying to get a general idea of area and looked for a bigger blob. The second time since the general area was located, if you watch it closely as it heats up you will begin to see a pool of heat that radiates outward rather than the straight lines from the tubings. i was able to isolate to within 6" of where the leak was. It took some time after locating but i used a pneumatic air hammer to slowly chip the concrete away in the area. Once the tubing was located i turned the boiler back on and the leak presented itself from one side of the baseball sized area of concrete i had removed. I contiunued with the air hammer until i had an area approximately 3" to 4" wide and 12" to 15" long removed. Got a couple barbed fittings and clamps repaired and tested the leak and used hydraulic cement to fill the area back in.
I definately would not go crazy with a jack hammer as you will probably mess something else up in the process.
Big Chris
Member
It's a passive income, I just sit around and count quarters.
No part of me expected passive income. And it hasn't disappointed. 7 locations sort of exacerbates the issues. But we are determined to work through it. I'm not posting on here to complain, just to avoid the same mistakes that others have already learned from.
Big Chris
Member
There is a great need for a sarcastic font.
Sorry, I'm not making fun of you, it's just I feel your pain. During preseason testing last year, I discovered a leak in my floor heat that was about 1.5 gal day. Luckily for me, it was the manifold under my boiler and I was able to repair it without breaking through concrete.
The best advice I read in this thread so far (if you are the DIY type) is what kentadel and cbchevy4x4 posted above and try to isolate it. If you can do that - isolate it, you might be able to survive this winter without that loop/circuit.
Good luck.
Sorry, I'm not making fun of you, it's just I feel your pain. During preseason testing last year, I discovered a leak in my floor heat that was about 1.5 gal day. Luckily for me, it was the manifold under my boiler and I was able to repair it without breaking through concrete.
The best advice I read in this thread so far (if you are the DIY type) is what kentadel and cbchevy4x4 posted above and try to isolate it. If you can do that - isolate it, you might be able to survive this winter without that loop/circuit.
Good luck.
Haha, no hard feelings. I was guessing sarcasm. We are working on isolating it, the valves are a bit crunchy so we are contemplating turning them. Its unfortunately definitely in concrete somewhere. I just need to make a friend with a thermal camera. If i had that, i wouldn't be opposed to cracking up a small patch of concrete if i was more confident i was able to pinpoint where the leak is.
cbchevy4x4
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Order one on amazon that links to your phone as the viewer and software. This is what i use. Its in sale now for $400. I have found so many uses since i got mine.
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