Hi folks, I'm new on here, just joined today, this is my first post.
First let me apologise because I've had a look around before writing, and I can see that my query is very similar to others already on here. However, I'm hoping that you will think it is sufficiently different to justify creating a new post rather than adding to an existing one, when I explain.
Three months ago we bought a second property, (investments going nowhere with the tiny interest rates!), it's a 1960's bungalow in Yorkshire. It has been extremely well looked after, and is in excellent all round condition. However, there is this dripping outside overflow pipe. Not pouring out, only a single drip at a time, but fairly constant nevertheless.
Up in the loft there are three water tanks, (most of the other posts only refer to having two). One large one, pretty obviously the cold water tank, mounted on a wooden platform or frame. Directly below that on the same platform, is a very small one, which I can only guess could be to supply the electric shower in the bathroom, but may not be. A couple of feet to the left of these two is a third tank, around two-thirds the size of the large one, on its own platform. I have no idea of the function of that one, but conceivably it could be to top up the main hot water cylinder, which is located in a cupboard in the kitchen, next to the oil-fired central heating boiler.
The water level in the largest tank is maybe 10cm below its overflow outlet with the ball valve floating nicely and not turning the top-up input on. So that's surely not the source of the drip from the pipe outside.
The water level in the medium-sized tank is only about 2cm below its overflow outlet, but again the ball valve doesn't seem to be a problem, it has not been adding water whenever I've looked at it, though presumably it does when necessary.
That leaves the small tank. The water level in that, this morning, was slightly above the bottom edge of its overflow pipe so I thought I'd found the cause of the dripping. First I bent the arm of the ball valve down a little more than it had been. Next I used a jug and bucket to remove water, (about twelve litres), until the ball valve dropped enough and duly opened the water input valve. I then watched it fill up. The ball shut off the supply when the water level was around 8cm below its overflow outlet - presumably thanks to my bending of the arm.
Job done - I thought! but a couple of hours or so later, the outside overflow, which I thought had ceased when I partially emptied the small tank is now again consistently dripping, one drop at a time approximately every 30 seconds - yes I've been and timed it (sad life!!).
Anticipating that some of you may suggest that I establish exactly where these tanks are feeding to and from, there is a problem with doing that. The loft is a large one. When we bought the house it was floored with a good amount of insulation, and we took advantage of our age to qualify for adding a great deal more fibre-glass on top of the existing, all done for us by a professional firm, for only £99. So the prospect of trying to shift significant areas of fibre-glass sheets and peer beneath it is not greatly attractive!
Thoughts appreciated.
First let me apologise because I've had a look around before writing, and I can see that my query is very similar to others already on here. However, I'm hoping that you will think it is sufficiently different to justify creating a new post rather than adding to an existing one, when I explain.
Three months ago we bought a second property, (investments going nowhere with the tiny interest rates!), it's a 1960's bungalow in Yorkshire. It has been extremely well looked after, and is in excellent all round condition. However, there is this dripping outside overflow pipe. Not pouring out, only a single drip at a time, but fairly constant nevertheless.
Up in the loft there are three water tanks, (most of the other posts only refer to having two). One large one, pretty obviously the cold water tank, mounted on a wooden platform or frame. Directly below that on the same platform, is a very small one, which I can only guess could be to supply the electric shower in the bathroom, but may not be. A couple of feet to the left of these two is a third tank, around two-thirds the size of the large one, on its own platform. I have no idea of the function of that one, but conceivably it could be to top up the main hot water cylinder, which is located in a cupboard in the kitchen, next to the oil-fired central heating boiler.
The water level in the largest tank is maybe 10cm below its overflow outlet with the ball valve floating nicely and not turning the top-up input on. So that's surely not the source of the drip from the pipe outside.
The water level in the medium-sized tank is only about 2cm below its overflow outlet, but again the ball valve doesn't seem to be a problem, it has not been adding water whenever I've looked at it, though presumably it does when necessary.
That leaves the small tank. The water level in that, this morning, was slightly above the bottom edge of its overflow pipe so I thought I'd found the cause of the dripping. First I bent the arm of the ball valve down a little more than it had been. Next I used a jug and bucket to remove water, (about twelve litres), until the ball valve dropped enough and duly opened the water input valve. I then watched it fill up. The ball shut off the supply when the water level was around 8cm below its overflow outlet - presumably thanks to my bending of the arm.
Job done - I thought! but a couple of hours or so later, the outside overflow, which I thought had ceased when I partially emptied the small tank is now again consistently dripping, one drop at a time approximately every 30 seconds - yes I've been and timed it (sad life!!).
Anticipating that some of you may suggest that I establish exactly where these tanks are feeding to and from, there is a problem with doing that. The loft is a large one. When we bought the house it was floored with a good amount of insulation, and we took advantage of our age to qualify for adding a great deal more fibre-glass on top of the existing, all done for us by a professional firm, for only £99. So the prospect of trying to shift significant areas of fibre-glass sheets and peer beneath it is not greatly attractive!
Thoughts appreciated.
