Haha, glad I'm not the only one who's had tenants accidentally sabotage their own heating... classic. Quick tip I've learned: after bleeding, always double-check the boiler pressure gauge—it's sneaky how fast it drops sometimes. Learned that one the hard way...
"Quick tip I've learned: after bleeding, always double-check the boiler pressure gauge—it's sneaky how fast it drops sometimes."
Couldn't agree more—pressure drops can catch you off guard, especially if tenants aren't familiar with the system. Another thing worth mentioning is the expansion vessel. If it's lost pressure or failed altogether, you'll find yourself repeatedly topping up the boiler without solving the underlying issue. Had a property where the tenant kept calling about low pressure... turned out the vessel diaphragm had ruptured. Always worth checking that if pressure issues persist.
Good shout on the expansion vessel—I think a lot of people overlook that. Had a similar issue at my parents' place last winter. Pressure kept dropping, and we were topping it up every few days, thinking it was just air trapped somewhere. Eventually, after a bit of head-scratching and some googling, we realized the vessel had lost its charge completely. Once we recharged it, the pressure stabilized immediately.
"pressure drops can catch you off guard, especially if tenants aren't familiar with the system."
Definitely true. It's surprising how quickly tenants can panic or assume something major is wrong when it's often just a simple fix. Makes me wonder if landlords should provide a basic troubleshooting guide for tenants—could save everyone a lot of hassle and unnecessary call-outs. Boilers seem straightforward until they're suddenly not...
Had a similar issue myself a couple years back. Kept topping up the pressure, convinced there was some hidden leak under the floorboards (cue visions of ripping up carpets and floorboards in a panic...). Turned out the expansion vessel was completely shot—no charge at all.
"Makes me wonder if landlords should provide a basic troubleshooting guide for tenants"
Not a bad idea, but honestly, you'd be amazed how many people won't even glance at it until they're knee-deep in boiler drama. Human nature, I guess...
A troubleshooting guide sounds nice in theory, but honestly, most tenants won't touch it until there's water spraying or the boiler's stone cold in January. I mean...
"you'd be amazed how many people won't even glance at it until they're knee-deep in boiler drama."
Exactly this. I've seen friends panic-call plumbers over stuff as simple as repressurizing the system. Maybe landlords could stick a basic checklist right next to the boiler itself—harder to ignore when it's staring you in the face every morning.
