Leaking header tank in loft.

[heather burns]

Hi, I have just bought a house (built in 1970's) and found that the header tank in the loft has a leak! I have checked all the pipe joints and found no problems. It appears that the header tank (which looks as it is made of cast stone) has a tiny leak in the base of it. Do you know of any products I can use to seal the bottom of the tank to make it water tight again...or is my only option a replacemnet?
Thanks Heather Burns

 

[fitz1]

new tank is about 15 quid. get a new one.

 

[heather burns]

Thanks, does it matter what size I fit? Assuming it goes through the hatch?

 

[namsag]

Cast stone, more than likely asbestos believe it or not they used to make them out of this. As for size of tank you can get a round collapable tank that will fit through a small loft hatch opening. the warmer the tank the more pliable it will be for pushing through if its a tight fit

 

[ChrisR]

Poss for confusion here - "header tank" usually refers to the central heating one, very approximately 2ft x 1ft x 1 ft and cheap, whereas the big one is for the hot and cold tap water. With fittings and jacket that's more like £100, plus installation which can be a horrible job, especially with what you have now!

 

[slippyr4]

If it is the cold tank (the big one), screwfix sell a coffin- polytank which is long and thin and fits through most loft hatches.


I doubt you'll have much luck sealing it, but you could try some of that (car) radiator & fuel tank sealing putty they sell in halfords. As a short, over-the-xmas-period thing.

 

[Agile]

If we assume this is the cold feed tank then it will probably have to be abandoned in the loft. As its asbestos then regulations and safety issues apply!

If I HAD to do so, then I expect that if I drained and completely dried out the tank from the inside then I would be able to make a satisfactory temporary repair with epoxy or fibreglass. That would however require roughening the surface which would again have safety issues.

The normal thing is to replace the cistern but over the holiday you will need to manage the leaking.

Tony

 

[Agile]

If we assume this is the cold feed tank then it will probably have to be abandoned in the loft. As its asbestos then regulations and safety issues apply!

If I HAD to do so, then I expect that if I drained and completely dried out the tank from the inside then I would be able to make a satisfactory temporary repair with epoxy or fibreglass. That would however require roughening the surface which would again have safety issues.

The normal thing is to replace the cistern but over the holiday you will need to manage the leaking.

Tony

 

[Softus]

A good quality silicone sealant will easily buy you a lot of time. I don't mean a sanitary sealent though - I recommend Fernox LSX.

As Agile observed, you would need to thoroughly empty the cistern and dab the bottom dry - a hair dryer would complete the drying process. Remove any debris without trying to abrade the surface, then the LSX will stick like s*it.