Maintaining their water pressure is a key part of your boilers efficiency. Most combination boilers use a filling loop to draw cold water directly from the mains, so an issue with water pressure indicates an underlying problem within your boiler. Thankfully, low pressure is easy to spot as you can see the effects when running a shower or tap, and many modern combination boilers have a pressure gauge on the casing of the boiler as a visual output to help identify this common issue.
Why does water pressure drop?
There are several reasons why water pressure within your boiler system may drop. Essentially, water pressure drops because water is escaping somewhere in the system. The most common reason is a leak. This can be from a tap, pipe, or radiator anywhere in your home. For this reason, noticing a change in water pressure, or a consistently low level on the water pressure gauge can protect from bigger issues. A small water leak anywhere in the system can become a much larger problem over time and can cause lasting damage.
The Pressure Gauge
If you notice a drop in water pressure, make sure you check your pressure gauge. You can usually find this on the front casing of the boiler itself and generally, the boiler should be set at around 1 bar. On many boiler models, there is a red indicator needle which shows the pressure the boiler was set to when it was installed. This is really beneficial to see how the water pressure has changed. Checking this water pressure gauge regularly can help identify potential problems with your boiler or your heating system.
What to do if you have no water pressure
Instructions for resetting the boiler pressure vary from model to model so make sure you always check the instructions before attempting to adjust the pressure yourself, which you can do quite safely and easily with most modern boilers. However, bear in mind that a drop in water pressure tends to indicate a leak of water, and readjusting your boiler pressure might mean you can enjoy a shower, but it won’t be long before the pressure again drops, unless you find the source of the leak.
If you continue to have boiler issues and water pressure issues, don’t hesitate to contact us at K&M Maintenance.