Water pouring from overflow pipe

[nickypon]

Just moved in to a repossessed house. The whole system had been drained. Switched on the mains so that I could fill header tank . It seems like the water is going straight from header tank in to hot water cylinder then straight out overflow pipe to exterior . I have shut off gate valves at the header tank and filled it up and no water coming through overflow so it's not the ballcock valve. There are 3 gate valves in the airing cupboard and have tried to close them but water seems to be still emptying . Any help greatly appreciated . [/list]

 

[JohnD]

where does this overflow pipe go to? The big tank in the loft? The small tank in the loft? A WC cistern? The back of the boiler? A tank on top of the hot water cylinder? The bottom of the HW cylinder?

I bet it is a ball cock.

 

[nickypon]

Thanks for your reply John. The water only comes out the pipe when the gate valve to the hot water cylinder is opened and water goes in to the cylinder ! I have tied the ballcock up so no more mains water is entering the header tank .

 

[JohnD]

where does this overflow pipe go to?

 

[nickypon]

I presume the overflow comes from the tank in the loft. I have looked again at the outside. There are 2 pipes coming out. A plastic white one and a copper 15mm. It is the copper one that is leaking . When I turn in the flow to the cylinder . In the Cylinder tank cupboard There are 2 gate valves at the base of cylinder that don't stop the water but there is also a valve at the bottom of the pipe that feeds down from the header tank which I think may be opened up . Not sure wether to try turning it .

 

[JohnD]

I presume the overflow comes from the tank in the loft.

you have got to find out for sure. Nobody else can do it over the net.

go and look in the loft. Look at both the large and the small tank. They both have ball valves in them.

try to follow the route of the pipe.

feel the pipes that might be it. The one with fresh water running through it will be colder than the others.

 

[FiremanT]

Split in cylinder coil?

Difficult to say, because your posts don't mak a great deal of sense. Also, if you can't be bothered to work out where the water is flowing from, then it makes helping an impossible situation

 

[Salmonfisher]

the water will have been drained of and the hot water tank drain left open

 

[Al-Glasgow]

open sludge on cylinder

 

[JohnD]

unusual (but very commendable) to have a fixed copper pipe on the cylinder drain cock. I don't think I've ever seen it. I think my cylinder drain cocks have always been ribbed for a hose.

It would seem to meet the description, though.

Is it a common Scottish practice?

 

[bolshy]

Is the OP sure it's not a tee'd drain on the cylinder cold feed, with a gate valve on it, piped in 15mm copper to outside? And instead of being shut, it's open? As it would be on a repo.

 

[JohnD]

gate valves tend to drip

 

[JimCrow]

gate valves tend to drip

usually a sludge cock John,

]

 

[nickypon]

Thanks for all the responses guys.. Spot on . It was a sludge cock like the one in the photo. A quarter turn and the water stopped draining allowing me to fill the cylinder and finally get hot water.