Mystery Outlet Pipe

Tester46

Hi, there is a piece of one-inch approx. pipe sticking out of the soffit above my porch. It drips water constantly. In the winter, the water dripping out of it freezes into a long icicle. In the hot summer we just had, it continued to drip. It drips about one drip every second, 24 hours a day.

I thought it must be a faulty ballcock in the black plastic water tank in the attic. But when I checked it the water level was nowhere near the outlet on the tank.

All my cold taps come directly from the mains. I have a hot water tank, solar panels and a back burner multifuel stove. Any idea where the pipe is coming from and why it drips in all weathers and seasons?

Dtp79

Tester46 wrote: »

Hi, there is a piece of one-inch approx. pipe sticking out of the soffit above my porch. It drips water constantly. In the winter, the water dripping out of it freezes into a long icicle. In the hot summer we just had, it continued to drip. It drips about one drip every second, 24 hours a day.

I thought it must be a faulty ballcock in the black plastic water tank in the attic. But when I checked it the water level was nowhere near the outlet on the tank.

All my cold taps come directly from the mains. I have a hot water tank, solar panels and a back burner multifuel stove. Any idea where the pipe is coming from and why it drips in all weathers and seasons?

Did you check both tanks in your attic? A large tank and a small one

scudo2

Dtp79 wrote: »

Did you check both tanks in your attic? A large tank and a small one

Or safety valev from solar might also be connected to it.
See what the pipe is connected to.
Normally its the ballcocks that cause the drip.

Tester46

scudo2 wrote: »

Or safety valev from solar might also be connected to it.
See what the pipe is connected to.
Normally its the ballcocks that cause the drip.

Only one small tank in attic. No large tank as all cold taps upstairs and downstairs are directly off the mains ie off the main cold water supply from the well.

Can't follow pipe back to source easily as it is under plywood and insulation. Why would the solar valve drip constantly, no matter what the temperature is?

scudo2

Tester46 wrote: »

Only one small tank in attic. No large tank as all cold taps upstairs and downstairs are directly off the mains ie off the main cold water supply from the well.

Can't follow pipe back to source easily as it is under plywood and insulation. Why would the solar valve drip constantly, no matter what the temperature is?

What about your hot water taps, is it off an unvented mains supply cylindre?

I could be wrong but safety valves off cylindre or solar can sometimes pass water and they might be piped into the overflow pipe that is dripping outside, this could have been done by plumber to avoided leaking internally should they start dripping.
What pressure is gauge showing on well?

Froststop

If you have solar, it's most likely the safety valve off the cylinder. It may be faulty.
The pressure in the hot water cylinder is too high when the water heats and expands.

A faulty expansion vessel will also cause this problem as the pressure builds the water expands and if the vessel is damaged or the air pressure needs to be pumped you will have no expansion, the safety valve will open to relieve the pressure off the cylinder.

Steps:
Have you checked the pressure on the expansion vessel? There should be a valve like a car tyre on it. It should be equal to the hot water pressure.
Have you checked the hot water pressure against the safety pressure on the safety valve? Usually 7 or 10 Bar.
If the hot water pressure is equal to the safety valve pressure then it will be the pressure of the well.
Have you checked the switch off pressure on the well? Usually 3.5-4.5 Bar.

This needs to be sorted before the winter because if the overflow freezes it could cause damage to the cylinder or your heating tank may flood your house if it overflows.

Tester46

Hi, it took a little longer than planned, but I checked the pressure on the well pump - it is at 3 bar (approx. 45 psi). Does that sound about right?

Tester46

Froststop wrote: »

If you have solar, it's most likely the safety valve off the cylinder. It may be faulty.
The pressure in the hot water cylinder is too high when the water heats and expands.

A faulty expansion vessel will also cause this problem as the pressure builds the water expands and if the vessel is damaged or the air pressure needs to be pumped you will have no expansion, the safety valve will open to relieve the pressure off the cylinder.

Steps:
Have you checked the pressure on the expansion vessel? There should be a valve like a car tyre on it. It should be equal to the hot water pressure.
Have you checked the hot water pressure against the safety pressure on the safety valve? Usually 7 or 10 Bar.
If the hot water pressure is equal to the safety valve pressure then it will be the pressure of the well.
Have you checked the switch off pressure on the well? Usually 3.5-4.5 Bar.

This needs to be sorted before the winter because if the overflow freezes it could cause damage to the cylinder or your heating tank may flood your house if it overflows.

Thanks - from what you have described, this is way out of my comfort zone. Off to the plumber I go!

Froststop

Tester46 wrote: »

Thanks - from what you have described, this is way out of my comfort zone. Off to the plumber I go!

It may be safer. There is one test you can try first to try and pin point the problem. If you PM me I'll talk you through it.

sullzz

Froststop wrote: »

It may be safer. There is one test you can try first to try and pin point the problem. If you PM me I'll talk you through it.

Why not put it on the public forum so others can avail of the help

scudo2

sullzz wrote: »

Why not put it on the public forum so others can avail of the help

Its been on the public forum for over a month. At this stage he needs somebody to have a look at his house.

We've all tried to suss it out.
Cheers anyway Sullzz

sullzz

scudo2 wrote: »

Its been on the public forum for over a month. At this stage he needs somebody to have a look at his house.

We've all tried to suss it out.
Cheers anyway Sullzz

Hi scudo2 , I was referring to froststop saying that if the op pms him he will tell him what to try , I was asking him why he won't post it for everyone to see for future reference , either he's scouting for work or its something unsafe

Froststop

sullzz wrote: »

Why not put it on the public forum so others can avail of the help

It would be easier to explain to the OP than filling the thread with info that could cause more confusion and interruptions by giving a detailed procedure what to check without other posts stuck in the middle confusing the issue. Then post the results after.

If an overflow pipe is dripping and the attic tank is not overflowing what can it be?
Something else is tied into the overflow as stated in post #3.

There's only two reasons this can happen based on the OP's info to date.
Hot water cylinder safety valve, but why? is there a reason that's causing it to lift before deciding to replace it. The new one will lift if there is another cause.
Stove safety valve, could also be a likely cause if fitted.

I don't know if he has a boiler or not but lets say he has for ****s & giggles.:D

Now there could up to four reasons it can happen but I would be surprised if they will be the cause, depending on how it was fitted & house layout.

How do we tease it out by making a few simple checks or tests to try and pin point the problem? Suggestions guys?

Froststop

sullzz wrote: »

Hi scudo2 , I was referring to froststop saying that if the op pms him he will tell him what to try , I was asking him why he won't post it for everyone to see for future reference , either he's scouting for work or its something unsafe

BS
Not unsafe just common sense! Not scouting for work as I don't even know the OP or the location. Just trying to help!!!