F&E overflow advice

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Hi,
I'm new to the forum and have no background in plumbing/central heating, so forgive me for any issues with this...
In my house we have an old conventional system (Emersion boiler which is hardly used, but we have a F&E tank connected to our central heating system).

So basically, it all started about a few months ago when we noticed a leak before the big tank. Turns out there was an issue with the pipe work feeding into that tank, which was replaced without any problems. A few days later we noticed Overflow had started. It was intermittent, but the water was hot when it did overflow. When we turned the mains off it would stop. We had various people come and see, and everyone said perhaps the ball in the tank isn't set correctly etc. However it didn't stop despite this. Eventually we noticed the water in the big tank was very warm (to touch from outside), so we turned the heating off. When we went to turn it on, we noticed a huge leak from under it and it wasn't turning on.

Eventually after many opinions, the central heating system (so the boiler bit) was changed but it, so we are told, still works in the same way as before.
Despite this we are still having an overflow issue; hot water intermittently. Associated with this is that the hot water is uncontrollably hot, I'm not sure if the water dripping outside is dirty but after reading some posts this is a good thing to clarify.

Now we have been running around trying to get some opinions and keep running into more and more problems. The house we live in is quite old but the system isn't so old.
A few things have been suggested to us, but particularly that there could be a coil leak in the hot water cylinder?

Anyone able to lend some advice please? Would be very grateful!
 
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You have two cisterns in the loft, one big for water (cold and hot), and one small for central heating.

Which one is taller? And is the overflow from the bigger cistern?
 
You have two cisterns in the loft, one big for water (cold and hot), and one small for central heating.

Which one is taller? And is the overflow from the bigger cistern?

The small one is taller, and the overflow is from the bigger cistern, but the water from this overflow is warm-hot.
 
Might be by pin hole in the cylinder coil.

Try to put a cork into the feed pipe of the smaller cister to stop the cold feed to central heating circuit, for a couple days, to see if you still have the overflow.

If no overflow, then it is the coil.
 
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Might be by pin hole in the cylinder coil.

Try to put a cork into the feed pipe of the smaller cister to stop the cold feed to central heating circuit, for a couple days, to see if you still have the overflow.

If no overflow, then it is the coil.

Thanks for the reply.
A few questions...

If it is the coil, then can this coil be replaced or will the whole cylinder need changing?

Also if the overflow persists despite this, what would this suggest?
 
If the coil had gone surely you'd get dirty water from taps if it was passing into tank and backfilling upto the storage tank. Or my thoughts it would pass the other way - cold water storage would back fill up f&e tank.

Do they each have their own overflows? Make sure one dosent overflow into other...??
 
If the coil has gone, then it's a new cylinder.

Guess it depends how they've set up the tanks and which is higher?
 
Why do you think that anyone should come out to you totally free?

You have a very simple problem which any competent engineer who was being paid would easily diagnose.

Tony
 
Hi,

I don't know you and you don't know me. Your message implies I am a stingy git who wants everything for free... I have no idea where you have plucked this from. These forums are made for people to seek advice, which I am doing, not to be personally picked on!

I am not going to sit and tell you exactly how much I have paid who and when and what they did because thats not my job on this forum and not your business. Thank you for informing me I have a simple problem that any "competent" engineer can solve; I'm sure if I was a competent engineer I would agree, however I am not. But if you can point me in the direction of a "competent" engineer then please do because I guess thats what I am struggling with, hence why I am here...
 

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