HIU leaking - short term fix

[Max___]

Hi all,

I am completely new to HIUs and I need some advice with regards to the best course of action.

The three way valve / proportional modulation (PM) valve of my Meibes HIU is leaking. This is due to the fact that the water in the the primary flow has a lot of gunk. I´m currently waiting on the management company to fix a filter in the plant room which should improve water quality before I get the valve replaced.

At the moment, during normal use ca. 1 litre a day drips from the valve which my tenant collects in a bucket. The flat will be empty for a couple of weeks and I was wondering what the best temporary fix would be. I can think of the following options, but if you have any further suggestions happy to hear them out:

1. DIY a water catchment system and let the water off into the washing machine waste pipe

2. Turn off the cold water main and the primary inflow valve.

The second option sounds like the easier solution but is there anything else that I would need to consider? Would it be sufficient to turn off the two valves to stop the leaking as this will isolate the HIU? In order to restart the system, would I just need to open the valves again? Any potential issues from doing so?

Would love to hear what you guys and gals suggest! Thanks very much in advance!

Edit: I have attached an illustration of the HIU system along with some pictures of the valves.

 

[king of pipes]

It's only fair that you get the 3 way valve replaced to resolve the problem , I would advise you fit your own filter to protect against future issues, contact the manufacturer of the hiu for guidance. Kop

 

[Max___]

Yes, I will get the three way valve resolved. However, I want to do so when the issue causing the leaking - the water quality has been addressed centrally which will be done in a couple of weeks. I need a short term solution until then as I dont want to be going into the flat to empty buckets.

Thanks for the suggestion on the filter for my HIU! I will look into it.

 

[Ric2013]

Well, assuming the HIU has a flow to the flat and a return to the communal heating system with a a valve on each (A & B ?), I'd be looking at isolating both of these. Isolating only one won't drop the pressure whereas isolating both will drop the pressure to 0 once you have lost a few ml and then you shouldn't experience further leakage, which is what I think you're on about. Make sure the valves actually work perfectly otherwise the drippage will continue and the bucket will overflow anyway. Switching back on could be as simple as opening the valves; an airlock is hypothetically possible but unlikely.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Problem is the Tennant will be without heating and hot water

The filter won’t magically fix the water problem primary side eg boiler

Best to get the 3 way valve fixed now

Also it maybe part of the managements contract to look after the hius

 

[Ric2013]

The tenant is away. That's why the OP is shutting it off.

 

[Max___]

The tenant is away. That's why the OP is shutting it off.

That's correct with the tenant, hence why I want to shut it off until the primary issue is dealt with by the management company.

Thanks very much for your advice in relation to the valves A and B. I presume I should also open the flush valve as well so it keeps circulating? Is there a way to check whether the valves are working well?

Also am I right in assuming that only the communal hot water inflow is going into the three way valve or would I also need to shut off the cold water as well?

Also how serious is an airlock i.e. will it create permanent damage to the HIU and how would I go about removing one if it arises?

Apologies for the amount of questions. New to the whole HIU concept and trying to wrap my head around it. Thanks again for all the comments!

 

[king of pipes]

If the tenants are not at the property then I would close off the primary flow and return valves and drain the hiu till your leakage has stopped, close off the incoming cold supply aswell and run a hot tap till it stops isolate the power supply . When the repairs are carried out the heating engineer will refill vent and heat test the system. Kop