Water Pressure Query

Wishbone Ash

Hi all,

I have a rather unconventional water system in my house. Instead of a tank in the attic, there is an 1,100 liter tank in the garage. The immersion tank and OFCH boiler are also located in the garage. The water in the tank is pumped around the house.

My knowledge of heating/plumbing is very limited so bear with me.

Yesterday I noticed water trickling strongly from an external overflow pipe from the water tank. I also noticed that the garage floor was wet - water is being released from a copper pipe beside the boiler with a red coloured cap (pressure valve?). The pressure gauge above the boiler was reading zero. I released water into it to bring it back up to 2 bar but it gradually fell again.

I have work commitments over the next 5 days or so and therefore am not in a position to be there for a plumber.

My query: Is it dangerous to leave it like this for a few days.?

(The water in the house appears to be operating as normal for toilets/showers etc. and the heating isn't on these days.)

Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Hi all,

I have a rather unconventional water system in my house. Instead of a tank in the attic, there is an 1,100 liter tank in the garage. The immersion tank and OFCH boiler are also located in the garage. The water in the tank is pumped around the house.

My knowledge of heating/plumbing is very limited so bear with me.

Yesterday I noticed water trickling strongly from an external overflow pipe from the water tank. I also noticed that the garage floor was wet - water is being released from a copper pipe beside the boiler with a red coloured cap (pressure valve?). The pressure gauge above the boiler was reading zero. I released water into it to bring it back up to 2 bar but it gradually fell again.

I have work commitments over the next 5 days or so and therefore am not in a position to be there for a plumber.

My query: Is it dangerous to leave it like this for a few days.?

(The water in the house appears to be operating as normal for toilets/showers etc. and the heating isn't on these days.)

Your running your boiler without water which can end in tears, leave the boiler off until it’s repaired also a leaking safety valve tends to be a symptom of a issue and not the issue itself so getting it looked at is not a bad thing.

If the water in the tank is only running out the overflow you might get away with it but you’d be better off leaving the water off and just refilling again over the day(if practical)

Wishbone Ash

gary71 wrote: »

Your running your boiler without water which can end in tears, leave the boiler off until it’s repaired...

The boiler hasn't been on for probaby a couple of months.

Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

The boiler hasn't been on for probaby a couple of months.

Well that’s good, don’t run it

The plumber will need to look at why the safety valve( which I believe is what your describing) is lifting but this is most likely a separate issue to the water leaking in your storage tank.

Wishbone Ash

Thanks for your replies.

I think it's the water tank that's leaking - at the rear. I was in the garage very early this morning when the street outside was quiet and could hear a faint drip drip. That would explain the water on the garage floor. (I don't know why I presumed it was coming from the safety valve).

Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Thanks for your replies.

I think it's the water tank that's leaking - at the rear. I was in the garage very early this morning when the street outside was quiet and could hear a faint drip drip. That would explain the water on the garage floor. (I don't know why I presumed it was coming from the safety valve).

If you put a bit of tissue by/around the safety valve it will soon indicate if it’s leaking

Calahonda52

looks like there may be separate issues here.
1: is the ballcock on the tank not seating properly=> the external overflow issue.
2: is the tank leaking=> wet floor.
3: heating system not holding the pressure => leak in heating system.

Re 1: could there be an issue with the pressure controls on the pump which had led to an increased pressure across the system.
is the top up loop for the heating system from the rising main or downstream of the pump

Wishbone Ash

Calahonda52 wrote: »

looks like there may be separate issues here.
1: is the ballcock on the tank not seating properly=> the external overflow issue.
2: is the tank leaking=> wet floor.
3: heating system not holding the pressure => leak in heating system.

Re 1: could there be an issue with the pressure controls on the pump which had led to an increased pressure across the system.
is the top up loop for the heating system from the rising main or downstream of the pump

That's what was puzzling me.

If the tank is leaking, why would water be coming out the overflow? Surely the tank would be losing water not gaining it.

There doesn't appear to be an internal leak in the heating system. Not upstairs anyway as I presume I'd have noticed it by now. I suppose it could be leaking into the ground down stairs.

Wishbone Ash

I should have also added that the large water tank in the garage looks like an oil tank rather than a water tank. It's plastic and just has a cap around 15cms in diameter at the top near the ceiling. I don't know if it contains a ballcock.

(It was installed by the previous owner).

Wishbone Ash

Calahonda52 wrote: »

...is the top up loop for the heating system from the rising main or downstream of the pump

It's downstream of the pump.

Wishbone Ash

I had a plumber in this morning and he sorted it out pretty quickly. It turns out that there were two separate problems which coincidentally occurred at the same time.

1. The ball cock in the water tank wasn't working properly, hence the tank was overfilling and exiting the overflow. The leak was simply at the point where the overflow pipe exits the tank. It wasn't noticeable before as the tank hadn't overfilled before. New ballcock installed and leak point fixed.

2. The safety valve in the heating system required replacing as it had calcified and wasn't working properly. New valve and gauge installed.

All good now.

Thanks.