Brown Hot Water and Santon Hot Water Cylinder...

[brianbonesdennis]

we have brown hot water coming out our taps (cold is fine). Its not always brown when you turn on the hot tap but after a little while it is. We have recently (6 months) installed a new Santon Hot Water Indirect Cylinder in the loft. Any ideas why we have the brown water?

 

[chrishutt]

Possibly central heating water leaking into the hot water side. This usually happens when the heat exchanger coil in the cylinder develops a leak and the heating water is at a higher pressure than the hot water. But if the Santon is an unvented mains pressure cylinder then it's unlikely that heating coil is at a higher pressure - is it? Who installed the Santon? Can you get them to sort it out?

 

[brianbonesdennis]

hi, we are on the Surrey/Hants border, and the house is 1900s or 1920s
dont think the cold water is ever brown.
We have some original radiators and some brand new ones
Not sure about pressure in the boiler, but we do have a problem with the boiler cutting out sometimes, and having to re-set it - the boiler has been serviced and they cant seem to find the problem with that, but could it be connected to the hot brown water we get? Wondered if the boiler is over heating and hence cutting out but could this have any connection to the brown hot water?
I thought (and correct me if I am wrong) that the water that feeds the radiators comes straight from the boiler to the radiators and does not get mixed up with the water that feeds the taps, i.e the water that goes through the cylinder in the loft?!

 

[stardanny]

Hi.
On your main cold water pipe with the stopcock, the one coming out of ground floor, is it copper or iron?

Cylinder could be faulty. If I think it leak through coil, I sometime drain down heating system and disconnect flow and return pipes to cylinder and I check if any water still coming through the open end due to main pressure. If there some water still coming, faulty cylinder.

 

[brianbonesdennis]

In answer to your question - copper

I did post this too about the problem -
I am not totally clued up with how the boiler/hot water works in our house but will try to explain!
We have brown hot water coming out the taps, not all the time, just intermittently, possibly when the hot water is heating up. We have a Potterton boiler in the kitchen (this has been serviced) and an unventend water cyclinder in the loft (this is 5 months old). Clearly its not caused by the water supply into the house and it would suggest its not a dodgy iron pipe somewhere otherwise the hot water would always be brown as its passing through the same pipe. The service engineer came out to look at the cyclinder today but said it isnt that - as the coil within it is made of stainless steel, but I am now stumped as to what is causing it - logic says it has to be the cyclinder somehow, as that is where the hot water comes from to the taps.....anyone got any suggestions as to how we get the problem sorted?????

 

[Nige F]

We have brown hot water coming out the taps, not all the time, just intermittently, possibly when the hot water is heating up. and it would suggest its *not* a dodgy iron pipe somewhere otherwise the hot water would *always* be brown as its passing through the same pipe.......Why if it was scouring rust constantly from a pipe , you would end up with a holed pipe - logic says it has to be the cylinder somehow, Not my logic .....anyone got any suggestions as to how we get the problem sorted?????

I think iron pipes should be looked for ......given the age of the house . the rust colour will be deposited into standing water and then discharged when taps run......I don`t think logically I tend to think laterally

 

[Agile]

Chris asked you who installed the santon but you have not replied.

Why dont you call the installer of the Santon as its his responsibility to ensure its working correctly and safely.

Was he properly qualified to fit an unvented cylinder???

Tony