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hovis
28-09-07, 02:13 PM
any idea whats going on here.......... its a pipe coming from the back bedroom (where the water tank is) just latley i have noticed its dripping water, but it seems to be a tad rusty, im thinking its some sort of overflow?

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k295/hovi5/dcp_2758.jpg

please no comments on the washing basket or garden

dizzyblonde
28-09-07, 02:18 PM
only pipe that sticks out of your wall like that is usually the bog overflow, but if its the bedroom i have no idea, ah but theres a water tank in there and they have ball ***** in too...works in the same way as a bog I think

stewie
28-09-07, 02:37 PM
any idea whats going on here.......... its a pipe coming from the back bedroom (where the water tank is) just latley i have noticed its dripping water, but it seems to be a tad rusty, im thinking its some sort of overflow?

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k295/hovi5/dcp_2758.jpg

please no comments on the washing basket or garden

Theres a garden there ?

zunkus
28-09-07, 02:42 PM
I have no idea why a water tank is in a bedroom but my guess, at that height it's an overflow pipe. The ball valve must be leaking or not low enough so the water is overflowing out. Check ball valve.

hovis
28-09-07, 02:48 PM
Theres a garden there ?

well, its more like a bit of dirt, but its a garden to us;)



thanx zunkus will take a peek

stewie
28-09-07, 02:50 PM
well, its more like a bit of dirt, but its a garden to us;)



thanx zunkus will take a peek

cool ;) :D

5v5 rider
28-09-07, 02:52 PM
I have the same sort of thing at my new home - I had a gas man to come and check the boiler out as it was too high on pressure and was making it run overflow constantly - after he'd sorted the pressure out the pipe stopped dripping.

HTH

Smudge
28-09-07, 02:53 PM
find out what tank it goes to then bend the ballcocks arm down

Luckypants
28-09-07, 02:54 PM
You will probably find the header tank for water system is above the hot water cylinder. (I'm assuming that is what you mean by the water tank Hovis?). This has a ball valve in it to regulate the flow. That pipe is defo the overflow and so ball valve is leaking.

Get sorted before the frost starts or the overflow can freeze solid and then you get a flood when the tank overflows.

HTH

hovis
28-09-07, 03:04 PM
it apears that the pipe that is leaking is coming from the attic down to the back bedroom then out of the wall

Defender
28-09-07, 03:08 PM
Does the drip stop when you flush the loo and then start again after several minutes?

If so, you need to check the ballcock.

hovis
28-09-07, 03:16 PM
You will probably find the header tank for water system is above the hot water cylinder. (I'm assuming that is what you mean by the water tank Hovis?). This has a ball valve in it to regulate the flow. That pipe is defo the overflow and so ball valve is leaking.

Get sorted before the frost starts or the overflow can freeze solid and then you get a flood when the tank overflows.

HTH
thanks every one


Luckypants, the drip is coming from the attic, i will borrow a ladder tomorrow & investigate, dont fancy paying for things i dont need off a plumber

Luckypants
28-09-07, 03:33 PM
thanks every one


Luckypants, the drip is coming from the attic, i will borrow a ladder tomorrow & investigate, dont fancy paying for things i dont need off a plumber
Almost certainly the ball valve in the header tank in the loft. Note there may be 2, one for water system, one for central heating (if you got wet radiators). they are not supposed to share the overflow, but they might.

Check em both.

It's probably a worn washer on the ball valve, or some grit in it from the water supply.

If it's from the loft, then truly get it sorted before winter. PM me if you need any more help.

hovis
30-09-07, 04:55 PM
right, i will try to explain this as best i can

there is 2 tanks in the attick a big one with cold water & a little one with hot water, & hot water going into it all the time, the water in this tank is brownish. i think i need to lower the ballcock in the hot water tank so the water will not reach the overflow? , but there is no adjusters on it, also the water is too hot to put hands in for more than 2 secs.
so i intend to bend the bar so the ballcock is 50mm lower


?

tigersaw
30-09-07, 04:59 PM
The hot water tank sounds like your central heating expansion tank, and it should not be filling up with hot water anyway..

embee
30-09-07, 05:27 PM
What can happen is the indirect heating coil in the hot water cylinder (HWC, the big copper/foam insulated thing in the airing cupboard) can fail, often a combination of corrosion and thermal fatigue.

The water which goes round the boiler and radiators is a separate circuit from the water which comes out of your taps. It goes through a coil inside the HWC and heats up the rest of the water in the HWC, which you then use.

If the coil fails, then water from the cold water tank (the big one in the loft) which fills the hot water cylinder (and is the water that comes out of the hot taps), can get into the coil and up into the heating circuit header tank, which is often lower than the main cold header tank, so it continues to fill it and it overflows.

If the coil has failed the only solution is a new HWC. This is not particularly cheap, and nowadays you're getting into Building Control territory with HWC's. :(

From what you describe, that would be my guess. One way to check is to put a plug into the cold outlet from the main header tank (something which won't disappear down the pipe mind!!) and see if the flow into the heating system tank stops. If it does then that's your problem.

Pedrosa
30-09-07, 09:20 PM
I am curious that the overflow pipe for a header tank of some description located in your loft, would only exit more or less at ground level? Normal practise is for it to exit the building at the nearest point?

However ignore me as I fwom Barthelona and I knowing nothing.

Razor
30-09-07, 09:42 PM
What boiler have you got fitted?

hovis
30-09-07, 09:44 PM
What boiler have you got fitted?

TBH i have not got a clue

theres a boiler downstairs. a big tank thing in the airing coubord & 2 tanks in the attic

Razor
30-09-07, 09:52 PM
Sounds pretty old system. When last was it serviced?

Pedrosa
30-09-07, 10:00 PM
Sealed system with gravity fed header tank? Hmmm there will be plenty of sucking through teeth and shaking of head when a plumber does pop around. You can read that as he is gonna suggest you replace fully and go with a combi. Not that it might suit your needs better, but it would be a better earner for him than sorting a minor problem. Watch em fella.;)

hovis
30-09-07, 10:05 PM
Sounds pretty old system. When last was it serviced?sirviced?????????:lol::lol::lol::lol:

Sealed system with gravity fed header tank? Hmmm there will be plenty of sucking through teeth and shaking of head when a plumber does pop around. You can read that as he is gonna suggest you replace fully and go with a combi. Not that it might suit your needs better, but it would be a better earner for him than sorting a minor problem. Watch em fella.;)
yeah........... im thinking of getting the whole thing ripped out

dunno how much£ though mr lp says the both tanks in attic should be cold? 1 is ****in boiling

i dont wanna get ripped off by a plumber, & dont know anyone, so i need to ask about nudge nudge wink wink

BILLY
30-09-07, 10:57 PM
the large tank is for your cold water feed the smaller one is for your heating! the water is brown because of the adative in it fernox it stops your system clogging up the ball valve is probably on it's way out! A quick fix if the arm on the ball valve is metal then bend it down a bit so the tank doesn't fill up to the overflow! Or buy a new ball valve there not dear and not too hard to fit!

hovis
30-09-07, 10:59 PM
the large tank is for your cold water feed the smaller one is for your heating! the water is brown because of the adative in it fernox it stops your system clogging up the ball valve is probably on it's way out! A quick fix if the arm on the ball valve is metal then bend it down a bit so the tank doesn't fill up to the overflow! Or buy a new ball valve there not dear and not too hard to fit!

that was my plan................ but................... should the water in the little tank be hot?

BILLY
30-09-07, 11:06 PM
If it is just for your heating then yes! it's in your loft so gravity helps to feed the system! If your heating is working ok then the saying goes if it an't brocke don't fix it! But on a serious note get it serviced regulaly.

hovis
30-09-07, 11:11 PM
If it is just for your heating then yes! it's in your loft so gravity helps to feed the system! If your heating is working ok then the saying goes if it an't brocke don't fix it! But on a serious note get it serviced regulaly.

my father died 5 years ago & he was a bit of a "jack of all trades" & i remember him fitting/fixing/modifying it which must have been at least 15 years ago.

its not been serviced since.

i think if a proper plumber saw all the pipes & cables it would freak him out

Razor
30-09-07, 11:16 PM
After 15 years, I doubt it's additive that's making the water brown. Call a plumber out and ask for a quote, you might have to pay him a fee, but after he's gone call another one and ask for a price from him.

dirtydog
01-10-07, 08:22 PM
that was my plan................ but................... should the water in the little tank be hot?

If it is just for your heating then yes! it's in your loft so gravity helps to feed the system!


Erm no it shouldn't be hot.

If the hot water is coming into the feed and expansion cistern in the loft via the float valve then there is some thing wrong there if it is coming in through a different pipe then that is the expansion pipe and it means that the boiler isn't shutting off when it should and is pumping the hot water up your vent pipe.
If your boiler hasn't been serviced in about 15 years then i would say get it changed. Bare in mind that if you want to fit a new boiler to your old heating system they will have to powerflush the whole lot (needs to be done otherwise boiler warranty is invalidated) and any weak points in the system will show up then like rusty radiators, worn rad valves etc as they will then leak.

If you want to know more pm me

DD