--- title: "What should I do if I suspect a leak in my central heating system?" url: https://visionplumbing.co.uk/resources/what-should-i-do-if-i-suspect-a-leak-in-my-central-heating-system/ --- # What should I do if I suspect a leak in my central heating system? A pressure gauge that drops overnight with no water in sight often means a leak under a floor or behind a wall, and thermal imaging finds it before a board is lifted. Call Vision Plumbing's leak detection plumber. [4.8 out of 5 · 49 reviews on Trustpilot (opens Trustpilot)](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/visionplumbing.co.uk)[24 reviews on Checkatrade (opens Checkatrade)](https://www.checkatrade.com/trades/VisionPlumbingLimited) ## Don’t just take our word for it Read every review on the [reviews](https://visionplumbing.co.uk/reviews/) page. JJustin 5 out of 5 stars, review from Trustpilot > Superb service, came same day and did an amazing job sorting out my blocked sink. Definitely would use again. [via Trustpilot (opens Trustpilot)](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/visionplumbing.co.uk) DDavid Page 5 out of 5 stars, review from Trustpilot > Norbert was very helpful and friendly. He fixed a leak I had in my bathroom very quickly. Definitely will use again! [via Trustpilot (opens Trustpilot)](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/visionplumbing.co.uk) Verified reviewer, job in TN13 **10**/10 on Checkatrade Replace broken toilet cistern > Very speedy response to job request on this website, Norbert called within seconds and agreed to call in for quote later today. Came when said he… [via Checkatrade (opens Checkatrade)](https://www.checkatrade.com/trades/VisionPlumbingLimited) RRob 5 out of 5 stars, review from Trustpilot > True definition of 24/7 great service. Very helpful used his services on 2 occasions went above and beyond each time. Great guy keep up the good work. [via Trustpilot (opens Trustpilot)](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/visionplumbing.co.uk) AAnna 5 out of 5 stars, review from Trustpilot > Excellent communication, explained issue well, supplied a clear itemized quote, good workmanship and overall high efficiency. Would hire again. [via Trustpilot (opens Trustpilot)](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/visionplumbing.co.uk) Verified reviewer, job in TN13 **10**/10 on Checkatrade Unblocked of blocked sewerage drains > Emergency call out on a Sunday evening. Very prompt and came straight away. Sorted the problem straight away and at a fair price for a Sunday night… [via Checkatrade (opens Checkatrade)](https://www.checkatrade.com/trades/VisionPlumbingLimited) DDi 5 out of 5 stars, review from Trustpilot > We always use Norbert’s plumbing service at our restaurant. He is always on time and fully understand what needs to be done. Highly recommend ! [via Trustpilot (opens Trustpilot)](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/visionplumbing.co.uk) TThomas Dixon 5 out of 5 stars, review from Trustpilot > Excellent work - very efficient. Friendly service. I would highly recommend to others. [via Trustpilot (opens Trustpilot)](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/visionplumbing.co.uk) Verified reviewer, job in E16 **10**/10 on Checkatrade Leaking pipe behind a laundry machine > Norbert did the job well and efficiently. He was available at short notice to help. [via Checkatrade (opens Checkatrade)](https://www.checkatrade.com/trades/VisionPlumbingLimited) AAnia Hampton 5 out of 5 stars, review from Trustpilot > Excellent service. Work undertaken in a timely thorough and clean manner. Operator was friendly informative and totally professional. Highly… [via Trustpilot (opens Trustpilot)](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/visionplumbing.co.uk) JJoe 5 out of 5 stars, review from Trustpilot Knowledgable and trustworthy > This firm is professional and do the job well. They turned up on time and they are very knowledgeable. Very trustworthy. I highly recommend them. [via Trustpilot (opens Trustpilot)](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/visionplumbing.co.uk) Verified reviewer, job in TN4 **10**/10 on Checkatrade Clean out blocked drain, used camera to ensure pipework was in good condition. > The quality of the work completed was extremely high, the engineer did not finish the job until he was satisfied the drain was completely clean as… [via Checkatrade (opens Checkatrade)](https://www.checkatrade.com/trades/VisionPlumbingLimited) HHarriet Boulding 5 out of 5 stars, review from Trustpilot > Great service! Norbert is very professional and I am very pleased with the result. Will be recommending him. [via Trustpilot (opens Trustpilot)](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/visionplumbing.co.uk) CCsaba Nyako 5 out of 5 stars, review from Trustpilot > Very professional service from start to finish. Norbert was friendly and knowledgeable and kept me informed at all stages. [via Trustpilot (opens Trustpilot)](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/visionplumbing.co.uk) Verified reviewer, job in TN15 **10**/10 on Checkatrade Fixing a new radiator to the wall and updating pipe work to remove valves on our open heating system > Norbert was absolutely brilliant. He offered great advice, worked efficiently and left everything tidy and well completed. He was also friendly and… [via Checkatrade (opens Checkatrade)](https://www.checkatrade.com/trades/VisionPlumbingLimited) LLauren Ford 5 out of 5 stars, review from Trustpilot Great service for emergency work > I called Vision Plumbing as I could hear water gushing underneath my kitchen. He was able to attend quickly, and found and resolved the issue at a… [via Trustpilot (opens Trustpilot)](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/visionplumbing.co.uk) TTunde Ogunniyi 5 out of 5 stars, review from Trustpilot Prompt emergency response > Norbert was one of several emergency plumbing services I rang overnight after being disappointed by another plumber when seeking assistance for a… [via Trustpilot (opens Trustpilot)](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/visionplumbing.co.uk) Verified reviewer, job in SE15 **10**/10 on Checkatrade Replacing kitchen tap AND replacing pipes under kitchen sink > After exchanging a few text messages Norbert turned up the following day on time with the replacement parts and completed the work in a very… [via Checkatrade (opens Checkatrade)](https://www.checkatrade.com/trades/VisionPlumbingLimited) Vision Plumbing is a **SafeContractor approved** business 6 min readLeak Detection A boiler gauge that needs topping up every week means water is escaping somewhere you cannot see. Vision Plumbing carries out Leak Detection across Kent, Medway, Surrey, East Sussex, West Sussex and Greater London, tracing hidden heating pipework leaks with thermal imaging and acoustic tracing. **In Short** - The signs that point to a hidden central heating leak - What you can safely check yourself before anybody visits - When a leak belongs to a registered gas engineer instead - How leaks are traced without lifting floors Vision Plumbing is a sole trader plumbing, drainage and hot water business, so the plumber who traces your leak is the plumber who quotes and repairs it. We carry out a leak detection anywhere in the area, and [leak detection for homes in Maidstone](https://visionplumbing.co.uk/resources/leak-detection-maidstone/) works the same way. Get a quick quote from Vision Plumbing anywhere in Kent, Medway, Surrey, East Sussex, West Sussex and Greater London, before a slow leak reaches a ceiling. ## What should I do if I suspect a leak in my central heating system? If you suspect a leak in your central heating system, turn the heating off, keep water away from electrics, check the pressure gauge, radiator valves and visible pipework, and write down how fast the pressure falls. If the pressure keeps dropping with no visible water, the leak is hidden and needs tracing before anybody lifts a floor. **Get a quick quote from Vision Plumbing and have a hidden heating leak traced with thermal imaging before any floorboard comes up.** [Quick Quote Online](#contact)[Call Now: 07379 636676](tel:+447379636676) ## The signs that point to a heating leak A sealed central heating system holds the same water month after month, so any steady loss is going somewhere. These signs tell you where you stand. - **A pressure drop on the gauge.** The needle falls over days or weeks and keeps needing a top up. - **Damp patches** on a ceiling, skirting or floor near a radiator, often with a tide mark or bubbling paint. - **Weeping radiator valves**, green or white crusting on a valve body, or rust streaks under a radiator. - **Drips from the pressure relief valve discharge pipe**, the copper pipe that usually runs through an outside wall near the boiler. - **Warm patches on a floor** where no pipe should be giving off heat, which points to pipework leaking under boards or screed. A falling gauge with no water in sight is the commonest hidden leak and the hardest to find by eye. If your symptoms point that way, we can carry out a leak detection anywhere in the area we cover, including a [leak detection in Royal Tunbridge Wells](https://visionplumbing.co.uk/resources/leak-detection-royal-tunbridge-wells/). **Get a quick quote from Vision Plumbing and have a hidden heating leak traced with thermal imaging before any floorboard comes up.** [Quick Quote Online](#contact)[Call Now: 07379 636676](tel:+447379636676) ## What you can check yourself and what you cannot There is a fair amount you can safely do before anybody visits. - Turn the heating off so hot water is not pushed round a leaking circuit. - Put a bowl or towels under a drip and move rugs, furniture and electrical items clear. - Note the pressure reading cold, then again next morning, so the rate of loss is on record. - Run dry tissue round each radiator valve and visible joint, which shows a weep the eye misses. - If the manual for your system explains how, top the pressure back up once through the filling loop, then close it fully. Do not open the boiler casing, pressure test the system yourself or cut into floors on a guess. Water inside the boiler, at the expansion vessel or from the boiler's own pressure relief valve belongs to a registered gas engineer, because the fault sits inside a gas appliance. A leaking radiator, a weeping valve or a hidden pipe leak elsewhere in the house is plumbing. ## How a hidden heating leak is traced Water leak detection without lifting floors follows a set order. - **History first.** How fast the pressure falls, when it started and any recent work narrow the search before kit comes out. - **A visual check.** Every radiator, valve and exposed joint is looked over, because some leaks are in plain view once somebody looks properly. - **Thermal imaging.** With the heating running, hot water escaping from pipework shows as a bloom of heat that the camera picks up through a floor or wall. - **Acoustic tracing.** Water leaving a pressurised pipe makes a sound, and listening equipment pinpoints where it is loudest. - **Marking the spot.** Only the small area above the leak is opened for the repair. Because one plumber traces the leak and quotes the repair, nothing gets lost between a survey and a separate visit. ## The safety points that come first A water leak is rarely dangerous in itself. What sits around it can be. - **A smell of gas** is a different emergency. Use no switches or flames, open windows, turn off the gas at the meter if you can safely, leave the property and call the gas emergency line. - **A carbon monoxide alarm**, or headaches and drowsiness near the boiler, means getting everybody into fresh air and seeking medical help. - **Water near sockets or light fittings** means switching off at the consumer unit, but only from a dry floor. - **Hot water from a split pipe** can scald, so let the system cool before touching it. The law requires anyone doing gas work to be competent, and anyone doing it as a business to be Gas Safe registered, and Gas Safe Register advises using a registered engineer. We do no gas work: a gas leak we locate is handed to a registered gas engineer. ## Mistakes that make a heating leak worse - **Topping up and forgetting.** Each top up draws in fresh, oxygen-rich water, which feeds corrosion inside radiators and pipework. - **Treating leak sealer as the cure.** It may slow a pinhole, but it never tells you where the water went, and it is worth checking your boiler guarantee before adding anything. - **Assuming no damp means no leak.** Water can run along a joist or into a void for months before a mark appears. - **Lifting floors on a hunch.** Opening the wrong room costs a floor and leaves the leak. ## What decides the answer in your home - **Where the pipes run.** Pipework under suspended timber floors is easier to reach than pipe buried in solid screed, where non-destructive tracing saves the most disruption. - **How fast the pressure falls.** A drop overnight is urgent; a slow loss over weeks still needs finding. - **Where the water shows.** At a radiator or visible joint it is a plumbing repair. At or inside the boiler it is a gas engineer's job. - **Who else is affected.** In a flat, water reaching a neighbour's ceiling makes it urgent whatever the gauge says. Water coming through a ceiling at night is what our 24-hour emergency call-out is for. A slow drop on the gauge is a booked leak detection visit, found before anybody lifts a floor. **Get a quick quote from Vision Plumbing and have a hidden heating leak traced with thermal imaging before any floorboard comes up.** [Quick Quote Online](#contact)[Call Now: 07379 636676](tel:+447379636676) - [Home](https://visionplumbing.co.uk/) - [Resources](https://visionplumbing.co.uk/resources/) - What should I do if I suspect a leak in my central heating system? #### On This Page #### Need A Hand With This? Norbert does the work himself, with a one year warranty on parts and labour. ## Related resources - [Are leak detection companies worth it?](https://visionplumbing.co.uk/resources/are-leak-detection-companies-worth-it/)Are leak detection companies worth it? When a leak is hidden, yes. Learn the free meter test, the warning signs and how leaks are found without lifting floors. - [What are the current statistics on water leakage in the UK?](https://visionplumbing.co.uk/resources/what-are-the-current-statistics-on-water-leakage-in-the-uk/)UK water leakage statistics: daily losses, litres per person across all four nations, Ofwat targets to 2050, and how to check your own supply pipe for a leak. - [How can I find where my water is leaking from?](https://visionplumbing.co.uk/resources/how-can-i-find-where-my-water-is-leaking-from/)Find a hidden water leak step by step: the water meter test, the stop tap check, the signs, and when thermal and acoustic leak detection is the next step. ## Tell Norbert what needs doing A line about the job is enough. Norbert reads every enquiry himself and rings you back to talk it through before he quotes. [4.8 out of 5 · 49 reviews on Trustpilot (opens Trustpilot)](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/visionplumbing.co.uk)[24 reviews on Checkatrade (opens Checkatrade)](https://www.checkatrade.com/trades/VisionPlumbingLimited) [07379 636676](tel:+447379636676) 24 hours, for emergencies