over-flow pipe

paddles

my attic water froze last nite. it's now coming back slowly but the outside overflow pipe is POURING water! what does that mean? what can i do? thanks

Pete67

You need to go up into the attic and see what is happening. Most likely the ballcock is frozen open and the tank has refilled and is now overflowing. If the float is jammed by ice or otherwise then it cannot shut off the water. It's also possible that the ballcock has been damaged by freezing and cannot close properly. Either way you need to find out what is happening and sort it out.

Fingers Mcginty

Maybe the float valve in the tank has failed?

paddles

Fingers Mcginty wrote: »

Maybe the float valve in the tank has failed?

oh god, what's THAT?

paddles

Pete67 wrote: »

You need to go up into the attic and see what is happening. Most likely the ballcock is frozen open and the tank has refilled and is now overflowing. If the float is jammed by ice or otherwise then it cannot shut off the water. It's also possible that the ballcock has been damaged by freezing and cannot close properly. Either way you need to find out what is happening and sort it out.

if either of the above, what can i do? i read s'thing on another post about pouring boiling water over a ballcock - is that worth doing?

i've since investigated and the ballcock is covered in (freeeeezing) water so scrap the boiling water idea!
i've pushed it up and down so it's not stuck. anything else or is it a plumber job? only got the ballcoack replaced early last year.

paddy cork

this has happened to me before,first thing to do is stop the water entering the tank and let the water level drop.the split pin holding the ball cock arm could be broken,the rubber washer in the assembly could be worn or the cylindrical part that the ball cock arm that acts on could be stuck solid and is not pressing the plastic pressure valve against the rubber washer

Pete67

When you say the ballcock is covered in freezing water what do you mean exactly? The ball float should be floating freely on the surface of the water, as the water level rises in the tank it is lifted up and should shut off the supply of water coming into the tank. If you lift the float arm up fully does the water stop filling the tank? There may still be ice in the valve mechanism preventing it from closing fully.

If the ball is submerged then its punctured or cracked and hence full of water so it does not float and do its job. You can unscrew the ball from the end of the float arm and replace it with a new one available from any hardware shop or plumbing suppliers.

If the ball is floating correctly and the float arm moves up and down freely but does not stop the water filling the tank, then it is likely that there is a problem in the valve mechanism. This can be replaced fairly easily but you will need to shut off the water somewhere first, and you need basic plumbing skills and appropriate tools.

Rev. BlueJeans

Possible, but unlikely, is that the top of the tank water is still frozen, even though the level may have/will have dropped beneath. This may have occurred at a level below that which would shut off the valve.

Lift the ballcock and see does the water flow stop, if not, stopcock under the sink, is the most likely location.

If the water is okay, and you can't shut off the flow, call a plumber to replace the valve or ballcock itself depending on the problem.

paddles

Rev. BlueJeans wrote: »

Possible, but unlikely, is that the top of the tank water is still frozen, even though the level may have/will have dropped beneath. This may have occurred at a level below that which would shut off the valve.

Lift the ballcock and see does the water flow stop, if not, stopcock under the sink, is the most likely location.

If the water is okay, and you can't shut off the flow, call a plumber to replace the valve or ballcock itself depending on the problem.

tried the stop cock and had no luck - it was WEDGED! got the plummer today and both ball cocks were damaged - something cracked in both.
he also recommended a new lever for the stop cockm as it took him a while to crack it open so currently useless to me in an emergency - better to know now...