Hot water back filling storage tank

[wonderb0y]

Ok...

2 storage tanks, side by side, one feeds the cylinder the other has been added to compensate for the pump that was added for the bath.

Basically i had a look and hot water was back filling from the feed to the cylinder so the tank is nice and warm. My boss said stick a check vale on the feed (this is a NO NO right?)

The cylinder has 2 draw off points at the top, one is where the flange has been put in for the pump, and the vent and hot water feed for the bath come off this, the other draw off is another hot water feed.

Any ideas spring to mind?

 

[Technotim]

Has the issue started after the pump was fitted and the second tank fitted?

 

[spudkey]

is the water level the same in each tank or do you have any mixers with mains water to them ?

 

[wonderb0y]

thanks for replys.

To the first response, I'm not sure if it had started when the pump got installed, i think it might have i've just started working for the company and the boss asked me to join the discharge pipe to the rainwater pipe as it was constantly flowing and the wall where it was discharging was green so it's showing it has been some time. I said to him that the discharge pipe should be left so you can see theirs a problem... (but hey if you can't see a problem it ain't their ) so he's asked me to look into it and this is what i've found.

And no there aren't any mixer taps, only thermostatic vales which are installed with check valves, as it's in a care home. The tank that feeds the cylinder is a 25 gal square one, the other joined is similar size but not as high just longer, the water level is fairly low, but they both soon start to fill from the cylinder.

 

[Technotim]

I would ignore your boss I have met his type many times before
Or go and get a new job.

Start the basic way open some outlets hold on to the hot supply pipes if they cool quicker than they would naturally then that is the offending device.

 

[wonderb0y]

I'll give it a try tomorrow, i'll also get a picture of the cylinder to try and help shed some light.

 

[muggles]

Could possibly be a blocked expansion pipe - if this is blocked then the water will tend to expand back up the feed, as it has to go somewhere. Might be worth checking some prat hasn't gone and put a valve on it...

Is it mains or tank-fed cold to the mixers? If it's mains, and therefore on unequal pressures, you could be getting mains water pushing back into the hot side, pressurising the cylider a little and causing the water to flow back up the feed. Probably caused by a faulty mixer if this is the case.

 

[wonderb0y]

Well here are some pics if anybody can see anything, or see somthing to check.

Also i will check the expansion pipe next week, but theirs deffinatly no valves on there.