Boilers are a great way to provide even, clean, and effective warmth to a house. Boilers also have the advantage of needing only a small number of repairs when compared to a furnace or a heat pump. But that doesn’t mean a boiler won’t sometimes run into trouble. For example, if you notice water pooling around the base of your boiler, or see water dripping down the outside of the tank, then the boiler is leaking—and no, that shouldn’t be happening.

Why boilers may start to leak

There are a number of different reasons that a boiler will start to leak. Below are some of the more common ones:

• Bad original installation job: This is unfortunately too common. If the boiler in your house was already there when you moved in, you probably won’t know anything about how it was installed. If amateurs installed it, you may have inherited a whole range of problems with the old boiler. A bad soldering job along the copper pipe fittings will eventually cause leaking to occur. You don’t necessarily need to have a whole new boiler put in, but the system will require extensive repairs in order get it into better shape.
• Corrosion: Boilers are designed to avoid corrosion and rust for as long as possible. If corrosion patches do start to appear, the weakening of the metal will lead to leaks. If small patches of corrosion are caught early enough, they can sometimes be repaired. Otherwise, it’s better to have the whole tank replaced: the rust means the boiler has simply gotten too old.
• Pressure: If limescale and calcium deposits start to develop inside the boiler tank, it will trap extra heat within the tank and cause it to overheat. The rise in pressure that results from this will create leaking in many different places. Call for repairs right away: professionals can seal the leaks and then fix the source of the pressure increase.

When you need boiler repair, done fast, in West Dundee, call up Lifeline Plumbing, Heating & Cooling.