My cisterns are not filling so I'm going to have a look and see if they are gunked up after some recent work we had done.
95% sure my system is an indirect one (kitchen tap and washing machine on inlet stopcock under the sink, with a feeder line going off somewhere, the raising main I think it's called).
Which means that the stop cock for the feeder tank in loft will be up there, yes? As a JIC I turned kitchen one off too.
Had a look up there (tank just has some ill fitting polysterene sheets on top is that right?), and it's a little confusing.
There are 6 pipes.
1 - overflow/waste pipe.
2 - pipe to the ballcock assembly (rising main?)
3 - a random pipe that goes up and then down into the top of the tank via jagged hole. Nothing attached to it (excess hot water from boilers?).
4 - pipe at the bottom of the tank with a tap, which when turned does not stop the water coming out of the taps/cisterns (for the heating water supply i presume?)
5 - a pipe going off with no pipe.
6 - same as 5.
Has my plumber been a little bit cowboy and decided that one stopcock is enough and that I have to drain my storage tank everytime I want to do anything on my water supply?
Thanks in advance or any help.
The valve under the sink should turn all the cold water off in your house, but the cisterns should have individual velves on the supply pipe. Should be a velve with a screwdriver slot in it, turn this at right angles to the supply pipe to turn off.
If you do turn the main off make sure your central heating and hot water are off.
Which means that the stop cock for the feeder tank in loft will be up there, yes? As a JIC I turned kitchen one off too.
Not always, mine didnt have one.
Yes.1 - overflow/waste pipe.
Yes, cold feed.2 - pipe to the ballcock assembly (rising main?)
Yes, expansion overflow from direct side of hot tank.3 - a random pipe that goes up and then down into the top of the tank via jagged hole. Nothing attached to it (excess hot water from boilers?).
Sounds like direct hot tank feed, gate valve seized? (common-screwing/unscrewing ok but still closed. Try giving it a couple of gentle bangs)4 - pipe at the bottom of the tank with a tap, which when turned does not stop the water coming out of the taps/cisterns (for the heating water supply i presume?)
No idea. Spare feeds ?5 - a pipe going off with no pipe.
6 - same as 5.
Heating & direct hot water shouldn't be fed from same header, you'd have anti-sludge coming out of your hot taps...!!!
You should have 2 tanks, one smaller that feeds the heating/indirect hot water circuit. Direct hot water is the bigger one, (water that actually comes out of the taps). Indirect is the water that circulates through a coil inside the hot water tank & heats the direct water around it.
Tank should have a nice padded jacket/ lid to prevent freezing.
I've only got one big tank in the loft with the pipes as I have described, no lagging/jacket except for the 1" thick wrong sized polysterene sheets stacked on top.
will clarifiy 5 - pipe going off with no tap or anything else.
It's an odd set up, was told it was a combi boiler but it's not - also have an immersion heater. You wouldn't think it was a new build...
I've basically drained the larget tank to have a look at the ballcocks in the cistern and I can't work out how they are not filling the tanks (2 loos have gotten slowly worse and worse with one now not filling), there is nothing blocking them and water definitly gets to the ballcock.
This was supposed to be a simple job and I'm rapidly getting pissed off with it all.