What to do if the radiator edema: leaks, troubleshooting,

20-05-2018
Heating

As a rule, think about what to do - if a radiator leaks, we start only after finding a problem. And here it is important to act as quickly as possible, because the hot water coming into the room from the battery can cause a lot of trouble.

Below, we will tell you where a leakage may occur, and also give recommendations on how to fix the detected malfunction.

In such a situation, you need to act quickly and accurately

Leak points

Deciding what to do - if a radiator leaks, we must first localize the area where the defect was formed. In practice, it depends on this in many respects what actions need to be taken.

Hole in a rusted pipe

As a rule, breakthroughs of the heat circuits are found in the following areas:

  • Pipes of the heating system. There is a risk of a crack in the welded joint, a rupture of the pipe wall under pressure, or the formation of a hole as a result of corrosion.

Note! If the defect is found in the open area, then its removal will not take much time. It is much more difficult with hidden contours placed under the casing, in grooves or in the thickness of the screed: in this case, the repair cost will increase significantly, since you will have to dismantle part of the decoration.

  • Joint pipe and radiator. A malfunction is formed when a threaded connection is impaired, and is usually eliminated by simply reassembling with the installation of an additional layer of sealing winding. To avoid problems, it is necessary to regularly inspect these sites, and in the summer - to carry out maintenance work.
The photo shows the place where leaks occur most often.
  • The radiator itself. If a leak is found at the junction of the sections, then we can limit ourselves to replacing the internal gaskets or nipples. If the case is damaged, you will have to temporarily seal the hole, and then change either the defective sections or the entire battery.

Debugg

Preliminary work

When you find that water is pouring from the pipe or radiator into the room (at best, drops or a thin stream, at worst - a powerful stream), it is best to contact a specialist. However, this possibility is not always, and the first steps to eliminate the consequences of a leak will still have to be taken with your own hands.

Valves provide an opportunity to disconnect the battery from the heating system

We need to act this way:

  • If water enters under pressure, in order to avoid burns, we cover the pipe or radiator with a blanket, thick towel or other thick cloth.
  • As soon as possible we reach the coolant supply valves and shut them off.
  • If such valves are not installed in the system, then we turn to the housing organization to temporarily turn off the heating on the riser.

Note! In this case, you will have to act extremely quickly, since the heat will disappear not only in your apartment, but also in your neighbors.

  • Carefully dry the battery and locate the leak on the wet spots on the surface.
Temporary dressing

When we find exactly where the defect was formed - you can begin to repair.

Pipe fitting

Instructions for sealing a leak on a pipe or at the junction of a pipe with a radiator include the use of several methods:

Imposing improvised yoke
Method Sequencing
Sealing bandage
  • The area with the defect is carefully dried.
  • Apply epoxy glue to the glass fiber strip.
  • We wrap the pipe with fiberglass, grabbing the damaged area and about 4-5 cm along the edges.
  • Apply another layer of glue over the dressing.
  • We are waiting for the epoxy to dry out and renew the flow of coolant.
Overlay clamp
  • Cut out a piece of rubber, the dimensions of which are sufficient to overlap the pipe section with damage.
  • We put the rubber in place of leakage, tightly pressed to the pipe.
  • Fix the patch with steel wire or metal stripes, tightening the fasteners on both sides of the leak.
  • Instead of an improvised rubber patch, it is better to use a special clamp, the diameter of which provides the most tight fit to the pipe.

This technique allows you to troubleshoot without disconnecting the radiator from the network. Naturally, in the course of work it is necessary to take measures to protect the skin from burns.

Threaded Seal In order not to disassemble the connection, we act as follows:
  • To begin with, slightly loosen the mounting nut (literally a quarter of a turn so that the flow does not increase).
  • Dissolve the glue in the alcohol BF and a toothpick, apply the mixture into the gap between the nut and the pipe, soaking the protruding reel.
  • We wait a few minutes, then retighten the nut.
  • Over time, the alcohol will evaporate and the glue will polymerize, sealing the leak.
The easiest thing to do is to disassemble the pipes and the batteries, wind the new seal and reassemble it.

Radiator seal

If the radiator itself flows, then the task becomes many times more complicated. In such a situation, the best solution would be to dismantle the product and replace it, in whole or in part.

However, for temporary troubleshooting, you can use the following techniques:

  • If the flow is small, then you should try to cover it with a two-component composition.. To do this, mix the base of the putty with the hardener, wait a few minutes and fill the defect with the resulting mass, and also lay the layer of material on the adjacent areas.

Tip! The surface of the battery must be dry, clean and free from grease. It is also desirable to clean it to the metal, because the two-component composition sticks to the paint not very reliably.

Two-component sealants
  • If the defect has a significant size, then you can block it with a bolt. To do this, we lubricate the thread of a suitable bolt or screw diameter with epoxy or the same two-component composition and screw it into the hole.
  • To ensure greater tightness under the cap, you can put a small rubber gasket, which will then need to be pressed against the surface of the battery.
The bolt is better to use short - the length of the thread should be enough only for the passage of the wall of the battery

However, all these measures are temporary, and are unlikely to allow you to “hold out” even to the end of the heating season. So the leaking radiator will still have to be changed!

Conclusion

Knowing what to do - if a heating radiator has flowed, you will not get lost in a critical situation, which means you will be able to locate the problem as quickly as possible and eliminate its consequences. If you want to learn more about the sequence of actions in the described case, then you should watch the video in this article: the information contained in it is sure to be useful to you!