Overflow pipe

jos28

OK I will admit it - I know nothing about plumbing. Could someone please explain something to me. Whenever I use a lot of water (I powerwashed the driveway today) loads of water pours from the overflow pipe from the attic at the back of the house. I can understand that I was emptying the main tank very quickly, but why was excess water coming out ???

Avns1s

My opinion.... when you use your water normally, i.e. small amount the ball valve drops slightly and the tank fills to max. When you use a lot, the ball valve drops significantly and is possibly sticking on the corrosion etc that builds up on the parts not normally "exercised" when the amounts of water are small. When the valve sticks, it's possibly only when the tank is full to the brim, (overflow pipe in use!) that the ball valve finally releases and moves to the closed position.

I hope this makes sense.

Jimbo

Wouldn't the outdoor tap be directly connected to the mains i.e. not the water tank?

Possibly when you use the power hose it may be increasing the pressure of the water flow to the tank. Your ball valve may faulty and not able to cope with the increased pressure and not closing fully and therefore the excess water is flowing out of the overflow pipe.

jos28

Outdoor Tap !! Oh to have such luxury. The hose was connected to the kitchen mixer tap. I had it on half way between hot and cold to try and boost the pressure a bit (lousy water pressure in my area).
I understand now about the valve sticking and causing the overflow, because my son went up to the attic and manually released it. It all makes sense to me now. I really should call a plumber and get an outdoor tap fitted.
Thanks !

Avns1s

Glad it's sorted!!

Jimbo

I'll sleep sound tonight

byte

jos28 wrote: »

Outdoor Tap !! Oh to have such luxury. The hose was connected to the kitchen mixer tap. I had it on half way between hot and cold to try and boost the pressure a bit (lousy water pressure in my area).
I understand now about the valve sticking and causing the overflow, because my son went up to the attic and manually released it. It all makes sense to me now. I really should call a plumber and get an outdoor tap fitted.
Thanks !

Uhm, if you're opening both the hot and cold taps, then surely the pressure of the mains cold water is being pushed up the hotpipe and therefore into the tank (mains pressure would obviously be higher than the gravity fed hottap) which will then overfil and exit out the overflow.

That's my take on it anyway.

Just don't open the hot tap when connecting hose to the kitchen mixer.

Micky Dolenz

byte wrote: »

Uhm, if you're opening both the hot and cold taps, then surely the pressure of the mains cold water is being pushed up the hotpipe and therefore into the tank (mains pressure would obviously be higher than the gravity fed hottap) which will then overfil and exit out the overflow.

That's my take on it anyway.

Just don't open the hot tap when connecting hose to the kitchen mixer.

Your are right I would say. OP is forcing mains water up the hot feed which at the cylinder is forced up expansion pipe thet sits over your storage tank. The water is pouring from the expansion pipe into the storage tank and over flowing. the ballcock doesn't come into it.

tapest

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

Your are right I would say. OP is forcing mains water up the hot feed which at the cylinder is forced up expansion pipe thet sits over your storage tank. The water is pouring from the expansion pipe into the storage tank and over flowing. the ballcock doesn't come into it.

Mains water is forced into storage tank, not through expansion pipe but via the feed from tank to cylinder, located at bottom of tank. Hence you won't hear the tank fillilg up. First sigh will be overflow operation. As Byte says use cold only
t

Micky Dolenz

tapest wrote: »

Mains water is forced into storage tank, not through expansion pipe but via the feed from tank to cylinder, located at bottom of tank. Hence you won't hear the tank fillilg up. First sigh will be overflow operation. As Byte says use cold only
t

If that were the case, you would have hot water from the cylinder filling the storage tank, unlikely in my opinion. Water will always follow the path of least resistance and that is through the hot draw off and up the expansion pipe.

Guy:Incognito

jimbo78 wrote: »

Wouldn't the outdoor tap be directly connected to the mains i.e. not the water tank?.

An outside tap is supposed to be tank fed.

byte

Stekelly wrote: »

An outside tap is supposed to be tank fed.

In many cases I see, the outside tap is usually on the opposite side of the wall to the kitchen sink, and thus connected to the mains.

Indeed, my own outside tap is piped the same (thankfully).

Micky Dolenz

Stekelly wrote: »

An outside tap is supposed to be tank fed.

I have never seen an outside tap that is fed from a storage tank. What do yo base your comment on?

10-10-20

I thought an outside tap was supposed to be mains fed to give the householder the use of the tap in the event of a fire... but that may just be me going mad...

the GALL

Stekelly
Sssshhhh say nutting unless it's gospel
or unless.....ah **** that say nuttin these's folk around here are pro's in disguise.
Them feckers.

tapest

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

If that were the case, you would have hot water from the cylinder filling the storage tank, unlikely in my opinion. Water will always follow the path of least resistance and that is through the hot draw off and up the expansion pipe.

Nope it will go up the feed pipe first as it the least resistance route. It would go up expansion pipe if feed pipe was blocked for some reason. I've deliberately used this method for clearing airlocks in hot water system, and sometimes in cold gravity system,
Regards
t

patg

Is there any chance of any of the contributors to this thread will pick this up? If so please have another think about your advice as I think you may be able to help me too.

We are getting water diverted through our overflow pipes in attic to the garden - there is a concensus this is a result of using hot and cold together. Surely this is normal practice when filling a bath for children etc..

How can I avoid the overflow - its a bit mucky where it falls in the garden.

Thanks

Joey the lips

Ha ha. i reckon your using one of these babies on a mixer tap in your kitchen and whats happening is when you turn off the water to the hose the pressure of the mains is forcing the water back up the hot tap into the cylinder out into your attic tank and out the overflow.

Your plumbing is working in reverse.

You need to fit a not return valve or change the system of washing with the hose.

patg

NO JoeyLips.
I am not the oriuginal poster and don't use a hose pipe.
I just jumped on the end of this thread as the problem and the responses seemed relevant to whats happening to me.
Read my post again and then if you have any words of wisdom I'd happily take them.

I was thinking it would be a ballcock issue - but posters to the OP think its a result of using hot and cold taps at the same time!!!

aah yes

Outside tap mains fed.

Cold water when half turned on mixer tap is forced up hot through hot cylinder into tank overflow.