Strange Cylinder Overflow

[RascalRuss]

Hi All,

I am having an issue with my heating system. Basically, my hot water cylinder in the loft is filling up and overflowing. The water is not coming from the ball valve and instead via an internal route. First assumption was that the coil had gained a hole and the water water was coming in from through the coil. However, I have noticed the sound of water constantly flowing through the cold water supply, I thought this could have been to the header tank that would be supplying the heating system as the water leaked through the coil.......but it isnt.

I started to trace the flow of water, and found it flowing through my mixer shower valve!!!!!

Does anyone know if the valves with the mixer valves of shower can fail and as such the cold water force its was through the system in to the hot water cylinder?? My show is a Bristan Quadrant Shower, with the valve and Taps suck in to the wall.

Hope someone can help

Many thanks

Russ

 

[stumpynut]

You could fit a non return valve on the hot near the mixer valve, this would stop your tank overflowing, but you may need a pressure reducing valve on the cold to equalize the supply pressures for the shower to work properly. May be just as cheap getting the shower fixed.

 

[Softus]

I started to trace the flow of water, and found it flowing through my mixer shower valve!

This is an increasingly common problem. The remedy is to balance the supplies to that shower valve.

 

[RascalRuss]

Thanks Guys.

I bought a non return valve at the weekend, and its done the trick. The only problem is that it seem to stop the water pump working.

Basically, as mentioned the cold water was forcing its way through the mixer shower, in to the hot supply, then through the show pump in the loft and finally into the cylinder. So I placed the non return valve just after the outlet of the water pump. However, when I turn the hot tap (the pump supplies the bath tap to) the pump does not kick in and no water comes out, the only way I can start it is by getting up in the loft, turning a little bleed screw on the non return valve to begin the water flow, then the pump kicks in.

Any ideas what I should to here??

Many thanks

Russ

 

[Softus]

I bought a non return valve at the weekend, and its done the trick. The only problem is that it seem to stop the water pump working.

A different definition of "doing the trick" to the one I normally use.

Any ideas what I should to here?

Remove the NRV and balance the services.

You can do this by fitting a PRD to the cold supply, or you can fit a pressure balancing valve, or you can replace the shower with either a venturi valve or one that incorporates a PBV.

 

[RascalRuss]

Is a PRD the same as a PRV (pressure reducing valve)????

 

[Softus]

Is a PRD the same as a PRV (pressure reducing valve)?

Probably, but it rather depends on who said "PRV" to you, or where you read it.