For several years my sister has had radiant heating using polybutylene
in concrete downstairs and copper behind baseboards upstairs. Lately
she has been smelling antifreeze upstairs and in the vestibule at the
foot of the stairs.

Is it ethylene glycol that makes antifreeze smell? That molecule is
twice as heavy as air, which makes me think the leak is upstairs. An
antifreeze leak can be smelled long before there is enough moisture to
see. What's a good way to locate it?

Her husband thinks the leak is downstairs near the pressure-relief
valve. She smells other odors there, but not antifreeze. If her
husband is not sensitive to the odor of antifreeze, that explains it.
Do some people tend not to notice the smell of antifreeze?

Choreboy

If you think you have a leak, turn off the fill and check the pressure gauge
often. If it is a leak, you'll lose pressure.

You need to get a professional leak detection company out to find the leak.
Leakbusters comes to mind....



"Choreboy" wrote in message
...
For several years my sister has had radiant heating using polybutylene
in concrete downstairs and copper behind baseboards upstairs. Lately
she has been smelling antifreeze upstairs and in the vestibule at the
foot of the stairs.

Is it ethylene glycol that makes antifreeze smell? That molecule is
twice as heavy as air, which makes me think the leak is upstairs. An
antifreeze leak can be smelled long before there is enough moisture to
see. What's a good way to locate it?

Her husband thinks the leak is downstairs near the pressure-relief
valve. She smells other odors there, but not antifreeze. If her
husband is not sensitive to the odor of antifreeze, that explains it.
Do some people tend not to notice the smell of antifreeze?

Choreboy

Choreboy wrote:

For several years my sister has had radiant heating using polybutylene
in concrete downstairs and copper behind baseboards upstairs. Lately
she has been smelling antifreeze upstairs and in the vestibule at the
foot of the stairs.

Is it ethylene glycol that makes antifreeze smell? That molecule is
twice as heavy as air, which makes me think the leak is upstairs. An
antifreeze leak can be smelled long before there is enough moisture to
see. What's a good way to locate it?

Her husband thinks the leak is downstairs near the pressure-relief
valve. She smells other odors there, but not antifreeze. If her
husband is not sensitive to the odor of antifreeze, that explains it.
Do some people tend not to notice the smell of antifreeze?

Choreboy

Regular auto antifreeze is put in heating systems that run "outside".
This happens when a radiant system (copper pipes in a concrete slab)
develops leaks and is replaced by baseboard (SlantFin) units. The runs
go through the attic space which is unheated. With a setback thermostat
you have to worry about it freezing, so antifreeze is used.

I imagine that a variety of odors might eminate from the antifreeze, but
ethylene glycol would be the dominant one.