Hi all,

My house is heated with hot water baseboard radiators. The hot water
is supplied by a boiler furnace with circulation pump. The furnace
has an automatic fill valve that is kept in the off position unless
the system needs water. It is them manually opened until proper
pressure is achieved. The burner comes on at about 150 degrees and
goes out at 160 degrees. I try to maintain about 18psi at 160 degrees
system pressure. The safety blow valve is set to blow at 35psi. It
has an air purge valve at the top of furnace just below the floor
above it (about 10 feet from basement floor).
The air purge valve is new and so is the expansion tank. The
expansion tank pressure seems to match the boiler pressure.

Here's the problem. Every couple of days the system pressure has
dropped to about 10 or 11 psi at 160 degrees. This effects the
efficiency of both the radiator heat as well as the potable hot water
(which is heated bythe boiler).
I open the fill valve, purge the air and close it all back up at 18psi
at 160 degrees. All is well for another couple of days until the
pressure if back down and I repeat the process.

I don't see any leaks, no water dripping from ceilings or pooling
anywhere that I can see. One room of the house is a concrete slab
floor (converted carport). It has heating pipe within the concrete
slab.

I keep adding water and purging. What could cause the pressure to
keep dropping?
I'm out of ideas.

Thanks in advance,

coustanis wrote:

Hi all,

My house is heated with hot water baseboard radiators. The hot water
is supplied by a boiler furnace with circulation pump. The furnace
has an automatic fill valve that is kept in the off position unless
the system needs water. It is them manually opened until proper
pressure is achieved. The burner comes on at about 150 degrees and
goes out at 160 degrees. I try to maintain about 18psi at 160 degrees
system pressure. The safety blow valve is set to blow at 35psi. It
has an air purge valve at the top of furnace just below the floor
above it (about 10 feet from basement floor).
The air purge valve is new and so is the expansion tank. The
expansion tank pressure seems to match the boiler pressure.

Here's the problem. Every couple of days the system pressure has
dropped to about 10 or 11 psi at 160 degrees. This effects the
efficiency of both the radiator heat as well as the potable hot water
(which is heated bythe boiler).
I open the fill valve, purge the air and close it all back up at 18psi
at 160 degrees. All is well for another couple of days until the
pressure if back down and I repeat the process.

I don't see any leaks, no water dripping from ceilings or pooling
anywhere that I can see. One room of the house is a concrete slab
floor (converted carport). It has heating pipe within the concrete
slab.

I keep adding water and purging. What could cause the pressure to
keep dropping?
I'm out of ideas.

Thanks in advance,



Quote: "It has heating pipe within the concrete
slab."

I bet you have answered your own question.

After the heating season is over, maybe look for a
way to isolate that loop, then pressure test it for leaks.

Jim

coustanis wrote:
Hi all,

My house is heated with hot water baseboard radiators. The hot water
is supplied by a boiler furnace with circulation pump. The furnace
has an automatic fill valve that is kept in the off position unless
the system needs water.

An automatic fill valve is designed to function all on its own and
should never be turned off.

It is them manually opened until proper
pressure is achieved. The burner comes on at about 150 degrees and
goes out at 160 degrees. I try to maintain about 18psi at 160 degrees
system pressure. The safety blow valve is set to blow at 35psi. It
has an air purge valve at the top of furnace just below the floor
above it (about 10 feet from basement floor).
The air purge valve is new and so is the expansion tank. The
expansion tank pressure seems to match the boiler pressure.

Here's the problem. Every couple of days the system pressure has
dropped to about 10 or 11 psi at 160 degrees. This effects the
efficiency of both the radiator heat as well as the potable hot water
(which is heated bythe boiler).
I open the fill valve, purge the air and close it all back up at 18psi
at 160 degrees. All is well for another couple of days until the
pressure if back down and I repeat the process.

I don't see any leaks, no water dripping from ceilings or pooling
anywhere that I can see. One room of the house is a concrete slab
floor (converted carport). It has heating pipe within the concrete
slab.

I keep adding water and purging. What could cause the pressure to
keep dropping?
I'm out of ideas.

Likely the pipe in the slab is leaking.



Thanks in advance,

On Mar 16, 12:42 pm, Speedy Jim wrote:
coustanis wrote:
Hi all,

My house is heated with hot water baseboard radiators. The hot water
is supplied by a boiler furnace with circulation pump. The furnace
has an automatic fill valve that is kept in the off position unless
the system needs water. It is them manually opened until proper
pressure is achieved. The burner comes on at about 150 degrees and
goes out at 160 degrees. I try to maintain about 18psi at 160 degrees
system pressure. The safety blow valve is set to blow at 35psi. It
has an air purge valve at the top of furnace just below the floor
above it (about 10 feet from basement floor).
The air purge valve is new and so is the expansion tank. The
expansion tank pressure seems to match the boiler pressure.

Here's the problem. Every couple of days the system pressure has
dropped to about 10 or 11 psi at 160 degrees. This effects the
efficiency of both the radiator heat as well as the potable hot water
(which is heated bythe boiler).
I open the fill valve, purge the air and close it all back up at 18psi
at 160 degrees. All is well for another couple of days until the
pressure if back down and I repeat the process.

I don't see any leaks, no water dripping from ceilings or pooling
anywhere that I can see. One room of the house is a concrete slab
floor (converted carport). It has heating pipe within the concrete
slab.

I keep adding water and purging. What could cause the pressure to
keep dropping?
I'm out of ideas.

Thanks in advance,

Quote: "It has heating pipe within the concrete
slab."

I bet you have answered your own question.

After the heating season is over, maybe look for a
way to isolate that loop, then pressure test it for leaks.

Jim

That's the answer I was trying to avoid. I can't imagine replaceing
pipe within concrete.

On Mar 16, 12:51 pm, George wrote:
coustanis wrote:
Hi all,

My house is heated with hot water baseboard radiators. The hot water
is supplied by a boiler furnace with circulation pump. The furnace
has an automatic fill valve that is kept in the off position unless
the system needs water.

An automatic fill valve is designed to function all on its own and
should never be turned off.

It is them manually opened until proper



pressure is achieved. The burner comes on at about 150 degrees and
goes out at 160 degrees. I try to maintain about 18psi at 160 degrees
system pressure. The safety blow valve is set to blow at 35psi. It
has an air purge valve at the top of furnace just below the floor
above it (about 10 feet from basement floor).
The air purge valve is new and so is the expansion tank. The
expansion tank pressure seems to match the boiler pressure.

Here's the problem. Every couple of days the system pressure has
dropped to about 10 or 11 psi at 160 degrees. This effects the
efficiency of both the radiator heat as well as the potable hot water
(which is heated bythe boiler).
I open the fill valve, purge the air and close it all back up at 18psi
at 160 degrees. All is well for another couple of days until the
pressure if back down and I repeat the process.

I don't see any leaks, no water dripping from ceilings or pooling
anywhere that I can see. One room of the house is a concrete slab
floor (converted carport). It has heating pipe within the concrete
slab.

I keep adding water and purging. What could cause the pressure to
keep dropping?
I'm out of ideas.

Likely the pipe in the slab is leaking.



Thanks in advance,

What kind of idiot puts pipe in the slab. It used to be a carport so
the pipe may have been added afterwards. Maybe in a small trench or
something.
I guess I have to take the floating floor up. It was just installed
last year.
Crap.

coustanis wrote:

SNIP
What kind of idiot puts pipe in the slab. It used to be a carport so
the pipe may have been added afterwards. Maybe in a small trench or
something.
I guess I have to take the floating floor up. It was just installed
last year.
Crap.


Maybe go with a Plan "B":
If the loop is leaking, consider doing a perimeter baseboard section
instead of disturbing the floor.

Jim

On Mar 16, 1:19 pm, Speedy Jim wrote:
coustanis wrote:

SNIP

What kind of idiot puts pipe in the slab. It used to be a carport so
the pipe may have been added afterwards. Maybe in a small trench or
something.
I guess I have to take the floating floor up. It was just installed
last year.
Crap.

Maybe go with a Plan "B":
If the loop is leaking, consider doing a perimeter baseboard section
instead of disturbing the floor.

Jim

Are you talking about running the pipe along the wall tucked into the
corner where floor meets baseboard?
I was wondering if that was a viable option. Then I could cover it
with something attractive running the length.
Is that doable?

"coustanis" wrote in message

I don't see any leaks, no water dripping from ceilings or pooling
anywhere that I can see. One room of the house is a concrete slab
floor (converted carport). It has heating pipe within the concrete
slab.

I keep adding water and purging. What could cause the pressure to
keep dropping?
I'm out of ideas.

It may be sucking in air. When the water heats up it expands. When it
cools, it contracts. Instead of bringing in water, since the fill valve is
shut off, it my be sucking in air, then purging it, then the pressure will
be lower. Try just leaving the fill valve open.

Copper tubing in concrete has been know to corrode. That may or may not be
the problem. Can that portion be isolated? It may be a smart thing to do
to test the loop anyway. If the loop loses pressure but the rest of the
system maintains, you know you have a leak there.

On Mar 16, 2:19 pm, "Edwin Pawlowski" wrote:
"coustanis" wrote in message
I don't see any leaks, no water dripping from ceilings or pooling
anywhere that I can see. One room of the house is a concrete slab
floor (converted carport). It has heating pipe within the concrete
slab.

I keep adding water and purging. What could cause the pressure to
keep dropping?
I'm out of ideas.

It may be sucking in air. When the water heats up it expands. When it
cools, it contracts. Instead of bringing in water, since the fill valve is
shut off, it my be sucking in air, then purging it, then the pressure will
be lower. Try just leaving the fill valve open.

Copper tubing in concrete has been know to corrode. That may or may not be
the problem. Can that portion be isolated? It may be a smart thing to do
to test the loop anyway. If the loop loses pressure but the rest of the
system maintains, you know you have a leak there.

The fill valve may be defective but not positive on that. It has a
manual valve sweated into the pipe before it and that's the valve that
is off.
I can open it but I can't tell where the proper pressure setting is on
the auto fill valve....although I can try it and keep an eye on it
this weekend.
I'll just start at it's lowest setting and work my way up.
If it hits 35psi it should blow out the safety valve.
Where would it suck in air from that it wouldn't also leak from at
times? Would this give a low pressure reading on the system?
I really feel that the quantity of water is low during these times
because you can really hear the water in the pipes upstairs, really
loud.
Sounds like, well....water running through a pipe. When pressure is
good it is totally silent.
I would have to drain the system and solder in valves to isolate that
portion. A pain but I'll do it if I have to.

coustanis wrote:

On Mar 16, 1:19 pm, Speedy Jim wrote:

coustanis wrote:

SNIP

What kind of idiot puts pipe in the slab. It used to be a carport so
the pipe may have been added afterwards. Maybe in a small trench or
something.
I guess I have to take the floating floor up. It was just installed
last year.
Crap.

Maybe go with a Plan "B":
If the loop is leaking, consider doing a perimeter baseboard section
instead of disturbing the floor.

Jim


Are you talking about running the pipe along the wall tucked into the
corner where floor meets baseboard?
I was wondering if that was a viable option. Then I could cover it
with something attractive running the length.
Is that doable?


http://www.slantfin.com/product-baseboard.html

On Mar 16, 3:17 pm, Speedy Jim wrote:
coustanis wrote:
On Mar 16, 1:19 pm, Speedy Jim wrote:

coustanis wrote:

SNIP

What kind of idiot puts pipe in the slab. It used to be a carport so
the pipe may have been added afterwards. Maybe in a small trench or
something.
I guess I have to take the floating floor up. It was just installed
last year.
Crap.

Maybe go with a Plan "B":
If the loop is leaking, consider doing a perimeter baseboard section
instead of disturbing the floor.

Jim

Are you talking about running the pipe along the wall tucked into the
corner where floor meets baseboard?
I was wondering if that was a viable option. Then I could cover it
with something attractive running the length.
Is that doable?

http://www.slantfin.com/product-baseboard.html

Ok, thanks.