Cold Water Header tank float valve

[Tom Durham]

Over the past few weeks I have had a steady drip coming out of the overflow due to the level in the tank being too high

I reset the float level which did not stop it

I replaced the float unit with one of the more sophisticated units which did not stop it

I cannot see any water ingress from the connections or the float itself but overnight I once more have a full tank

The tank is used to supply cold water via gravity to another bath & shower in the house and has only a cold feed in from the mains and a pipe which is twinned off to supply the two units.

It is such a simple set up it is a joke but it will not stop this slow build up

Any ideas

 

[Puddle]

What supplies the hot side of the taps( if mono block or mixer)and shower, hot water side could be leaking through to cold side and up into tank if higher pressure

 

[Tom Durham]

Both the bath and the shower are supplied from a gravity hot water storage tank which is lower than the cold water supply tank ?.

Note: There are three header tanks in the loft , one for the central heating one for the supply to the main hot water storage tank and the third (problem one ) is just for those two outlets.

I am going to break the supply from the mains to the suspect tank and fit a service valve,will also do the same for the outlet to the bath and second shower which should give me some idea as to where it is coming from.

The system was installed about three years ago and has given no problems till this cold snap.

 

[Alanka]

You've probably solved this one by now - if so, what was the cause in the end?

If not, can you tell us if the header tank that supplies the central heating system (probably a relatively small tank) is higher than or lower than the problem tank? (Measured at the water levels when both tanks are full.)

 

[Tom Durham]

Turned off the tank fed cold supply to a gravity shower in my daughters old room and the problem stopped

So I am assuming that the header tank configuration is to blame

The shower has been installed for three years now but has seen little use and there was no problems with the overflow until this winter

The tank supplying the header for the hot water storage tank is in the loft and to get as much pressure as possible the plumber put the tank up a good 2ft above the second tank which is used to provide the cold supply to a bath and the shower.

As it is colder than a Witches Tit on a high broomstick ride up here the dismantling of the pipework will have to wait until Gordons Global Warming kicks in.

If the mixer has started to allow a backflow I am hoping that someone told the manufacturers to use common centres for the hot and cold supplies so that another unit can be fitted

Or have I been smoking something green and glorious ?

Tom

By the way the original installer went for a three tank trick

One for the central heating, one joined to the other with a connector about a 30mm from the bottom so there was a really large water storage area but at the same level
All that ever did was collect a sort of grey scum inside it

 

[WHPES]

Should have water flowing in at one linked tank and out of the other one otherwise it is illegal and potentially very dangerous if used for a shower see Legionnaires’ disease – health and safety in the workplace


The same tank should feed both the hot and cold supply for a shower or a mixer. Modify your pipework so that they both come from one tank.

 

[charlie frederi]

Hi
you more than likley have two tanks joined together with a part 1 ballvalve at one end and the outlets feeding the cylinder and cold to bathroom at the opposite end
so that the water is flowing fresh all the time as it is bad practice to have the outlets on the same side as the ballvalve as this can cause legionella
you should really fit non return valves on shower pipework and on the pipework to the mixer taps as you are probably getting a back feed from a mains feed on a kitchen mixer

 

[helpsy]

Hi
you more than likley have two tanks joined together with a part 1 ballvalve at one end and the outlets feeding the cylinder and cold to bathroom at the opposite end
so that the water is flowing fresh all the time as it is bad practice to have the outlets on the same side as the ballvalve as this can cause legionella
you should really fit non return valves on shower pipework and on the pipework to the mixer taps as you are probably getting a back feed from a mains feed on a kitchen mixer

I think you also need to fit an NRV if using a part 1 ballvalve.

 

[Tom Durham]

The original configuration was such that it was a disease trap as there was static water in one tank which was linked fairly low down on one side of the tank to the other one which had the ball valve fitted

Water was being drawn off the ball valve tank

Currently the tank is supplying the bath and the gravity shower as a separate unit.

Will fit a none return valve into the shower supply line and get it piped into the main header tank when the ice stops forming in the loft