Hi all.
My hot water cylinder is in the garage and a few weeks ago I noticed water around the bottom of it.
I found the immersion heater had a leak around where it screws into the side of the cylinder. I removed it and found the o ring was a bit crushed in places. I fitted a new o ring and put it back. It still leaked slightly worse if anything. So I bought a new heater, the same make and model as the original so identical. It was only £26 to buy so nothing to lose really. The amount of time It takes to drain I didn't want to try another o ring.
It still leaked but it took 2 days before I could feel any water. I checked it regularly and thought I'd fixed it but yesterday I felt a bead of water. I managed to get a tiny bit more tightened on it and it stayed dry for a few hours but then started leaking again.
The problem is as can be seen on the photos I can't see exactly where the water is coming from as it's hidden by the nut on the heater. I'm beginning to wonder if the cylinder is the problem, as I'd have thought a new heater with a factory o ring would cure it. When the heater was out I could see the stainless steel threaded boss looked in great condition. Feeling all around it there were no burrs or damage. Because it's surrounded by plastic I can't see where it's welded to the cylinder. So can't be certain that this isn't the problem.
Is it worth putting PTFE around the threads. Or maybe some kind of silicone type of sealant around the o ring? Is leaking like this a common problem with unvented cylinders? Any ideas will be much appreciated. Thanks.
My hot water cylinder is in the garage and a few weeks ago I noticed water around the bottom of it.
I found the immersion heater had a leak around where it screws into the side of the cylinder. I removed it and found the o ring was a bit crushed in places. I fitted a new o ring and put it back. It still leaked slightly worse if anything. So I bought a new heater, the same make and model as the original so identical. It was only £26 to buy so nothing to lose really. The amount of time It takes to drain I didn't want to try another o ring.
It still leaked but it took 2 days before I could feel any water. I checked it regularly and thought I'd fixed it but yesterday I felt a bead of water. I managed to get a tiny bit more tightened on it and it stayed dry for a few hours but then started leaking again.
The problem is as can be seen on the photos I can't see exactly where the water is coming from as it's hidden by the nut on the heater. I'm beginning to wonder if the cylinder is the problem, as I'd have thought a new heater with a factory o ring would cure it. When the heater was out I could see the stainless steel threaded boss looked in great condition. Feeling all around it there were no burrs or damage. Because it's surrounded by plastic I can't see where it's welded to the cylinder. So can't be certain that this isn't the problem.
Is it worth putting PTFE around the threads. Or maybe some kind of silicone type of sealant around the o ring? Is leaking like this a common problem with unvented cylinders? Any ideas will be much appreciated. Thanks.
