Overflow dripping

[Carolinelc1]

Hi folks,

Hoping you can help - newbie here so please be gentle .

My overflow pipe is constantly dripping. Running off non-mains water, hot or cold, stops it for a while but then it resumes. I've read earlier posts about it being the ball cock in either the storage or F&E tanks, but tonight for the first time in about a year I switched my immersion heater on to heat water instead of the central heating - since as soon as the immersion went on, the dripping stopped.

Can anyone help with why this would be the case? I'm not very knowledgeable about plumbing and would appreciate your help on a diagnosis/fix before I have to call a plumber out.

Thanks!

 

[Burnerman]

Gentle oldie here
Find out which tank is overflowing if you can......if its the big one that feeds the domestic hot water it will stop as soon as you run some hot water off - cold too, as you say your taps are tank fed.
You are correct - the ball valve either needs replacing or a new washer.....sometimes they are so crudded up with limescale that you cant dismantle them, so a new type 2 valve is needed.
Fitting time 1/2 hour if access is good - but you will need to be able to turn the cold water supply off at the stopcock.
John

 

[Carolinelc1]

Thank you John, I appreciate your prompt and gentle response!

I had wondered if the immersion heater factor indicated it was more likely to be a pin hole leak in the hot water cylinder instead of the storage or F&E tanks.

Is it simple enough to replace the ball valve in either tank myself? Do I need to run off water or drain the tank once I turn the stop cock for the cold water back on?

Thanks again

 

[hanns21]

Very easy to change. Pick one up from a supplier and ask him. You dont need to replace the whole thing. But again ask him to show you as its hard to explain. Turn mains water off and open hot and cold tap and drain roughly half a tank as this makes it easyier to change

 

[Burnerman]

It is an easy job - but we all say that!
You'll need a type 2 valve - notice that the brass arm has a bend in it, which happily makes the float adjustable. You can use the old float - it just unscrews but replace that too if there's water inside.
So, mains water off and the water level lowered, you can unscrew the connector nut that connects the water supply to the valve. There should be a fibre washer on the joining flange and its really best to replace that too.
Look at the old valve, and adjust the plastic spacing nuts on the new one so its the same, and reconnect. Make sure the valve can work vertically!
You need to adjust the float level so the water in the tank is below the overflow by a couple of inches.
See? Dead simple
Maybe a good tip is to install a 1/4 turn isolator tap with a handle somewhere on the tank supply pipe.....that way you can sort things at your leisure with the house water supply on, but your tank remains isolated.
John

 

[Carolinelc1]

Thank you heaps to both hanns21 and John for your advice, I'm pretty happy now that I can do this myself. Off to the hardware store tomorrow to get a new valve and will get it all sorted - hopefully - on Saturday!

Cheers guys