any plumbers/DIY experts

Does the drip stop when you flush the loo and then start again after several minutes?

If so, you need to check the ballcock.

Originally Posted by Luckypants

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]

Originally Posted by hovis

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.

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]

The hot water tank sounds like your central heating expansion tank, and it should not be filling up with hot water anyway..

[embee]

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.

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.

What boiler have you got fitted?

Originally Posted by Razor

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

Sounds pretty old system. When last was it serviced?