Tap won't turn off
 

We have a 30 cubic metre water tank that has a stopcock at the base in
the pipe that goes underground. When the stopcock is turned off, an
apparently endless amount of water still comes out of the taps in the
building that is supplied.
Perhaps the stopcock is not working, but it's hard to dismantle it
without draining the tank. The outlet pipe is in the middle of the
tank under 3 metres of water at the moment. I could try to use a long
stick to put a plug over the pipe, but it isn't going to be easy
through a tiny hole in the roof of the tank.

With the stopcock "off", after running a tap for a few minutes, the
water gets decidedly warm. This is quite likely to be backflow from
the solar-heated hot water cylinder on the roof. Except that there is
a non-returrn valve inside the wall to prevent backflow. Perhaps that
non-return valve has failed, in which case it means taking the wall
apart to get at it.

Having possibly drained most of the hot water tank, when I turn the
stopcock "on" again, I can't hear or feel any water flow through the
stopcock.

Any guesses what is wrong? The stopcock or the non-return valve? Or
both, or something else? I need to know in 12 hours :)

Tap won't turn off
 

Matty F wrote:
We have a 30 cubic metre water tank that has a stopcock at the base in
the pipe that goes underground. When the stopcock is turned off, an
apparently endless amount of water still comes out of the taps in the
building that is supplied.

Is it a gate valve like this?
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/16874/...alve-22mm-22mm

Or a stopcock like this?
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/17273/...Stop-Cock-22mm

Pipe freezing kits do work surprisingly well, if you have the courage :-)
http://www.screwfix.com/search.do;js...ch=pipe+freeze



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

Tap won't turn off
 

On Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:19:15 -0700 (PDT), Matty F wrote:

With the stopcock "off", after running a tap for a few minutes, the
water gets decidedly warm. This is quite likely to be backflow from
the solar-heated hot water cylinder on the roof.

With the stopcock "on" does the water run warm after a similar amount
fo time? If not then it indicates that the stopcock is working and
there is flow from the solar tank.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Tap won't turn off
 

On Jul 16, 7:31 pm, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:
Matty F wrote:
We have a 30 cubic metre water tank that has a stopcock at the base in
the pipe that goes underground. When the stopcock is turned off, an
apparently endless amount of water still comes out of the taps in the
building that is supplied.

Is it a gate valve like this?http://www.screwfix.com/prods/16874/...Gate-Valve-22m...

Or a stopcock like this?http://www.screwfix.com/prods/17273/...Stop-Cock-22mm

I guess it's a gate valve:
http://i32.tinypic.com/i5ubm0.jpg

Here's the tank:
http://i31.tinypic.com/r02fea.jpg
The white pipe is for the wires to the float valve at the top.
The black pipe is for the water that is pumped up to the tank.

This is the outlet pipe in the bottom of the tank:
http://i30.tinypic.com/5memip.jpg

Pipe freezing kits do work surprisingly well, if you have the courage :-)http://www.screwfix.com/search.do;js...Q1MCSTHZOCFFQ?...

I think I can devise a conical plug (with a cord attached) that I can
push into the overflow pipe using a long pole.

Tap won't turn off
 

In article
,
Matty F wrote:
I guess it's a gate valve:
http://i32.tinypic.com/i5ubm0.jpg

They are notorious for not shutting off after some time - especially in a
hard water area. Replace with a full bore valve.

--
*If you ate pasta and anti-pasta, would you still be hungry?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Tap won't turn off
 

In article ,
Matty F writes:

I think I can devise a conical plug (with a cord attached) that I can
push into the overflow pipe using a long pole.

Just to warn that that looks like a tank you could easily drown in
if you had an accident, or the top gave way. I suggest you shouldn't
work on top it without having one or two other people present with
some rescue gear ready.

There are lots of those on stilts in the US, and when I was at school
in the US, a child in another class drowned in one when climbing it
for fun. I guess the lid collapsed. That was not an uncommon occurrence
on those towers at the time, where the height and view looked like quite
an attraction to adventurous kids.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

Tap won't turn off
 

On Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:32:27 +0100 (BST), Dave Liquorice wrote:

On Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:19:15 -0700 (PDT), Matty F wrote:

With the stopcock "off", after running a tap for a few minutes, the
water gets decidedly warm. This is quite likely to be backflow from
the solar-heated hot water cylinder on the roof.

With the stopcock "on" does the water run warm after a similar amount
fo time? If not then it indicates that the stopcock is working and
there is flow from the solar tank.

If the distance from the wooden tank isn't too much for the time to warm
water flowing, surely the water in it could flow warm if the sun had heated
the contents.
--
Peter.
The head of a pin will hold more angels if
it's been flattened with an angel-grinder.

Tap won't turn off
 

On Jul 17, 12:08 am, PeterC wrote:
On Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:32:27 +0100 (BST), Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:19:15 -0700 (PDT), Matty F wrote:

With the stopcock "off", after running a tap for a few minutes, the
water gets decidedly warm. This is quite likely to be backflow from
the solar-heated hot water cylinder on the roof.

With the stopcock "on" does the water run warm after a similar amount
fo time? If not then it indicates that the stopcock is working and
there is flow from the solar tank.

I'll try that tomorrow. The stopcock is some 50 metres from the
building so it takes a while to try out ideas.

If the distance from the wooden tank isn't too much for the time to warm
water flowing, surely the water in it could flow warm if the sun had heated
the contents.

It's the middle of winter here and the water in the wooden tank is
definitely cold. I tested the shower and it is comfortably warm.

Tap won't turn off
 

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article
,
Matty F wrote:
I guess it's a gate valve:
http://i32.tinypic.com/i5ubm0.jpg

They are notorious for not shutting off after some time - especially
in a hard water area. Replace with a full bore valve.

They are indeed. Pox ridden, spawn of satan bloody things.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

Tap won't turn off
 

On Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:33:36 -0700 (PDT), Matty F wrote:

On Jul 17, 12:08 am, PeterC wrote:
On Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:32:27 +0100 (BST), Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:19:15 -0700 (PDT), Matty F wrote:

With the stopcock "off", after running a tap for a few minutes, the
water gets decidedly warm. This is quite likely to be backflow from
the solar-heated hot water cylinder on the roof.

With the stopcock "on" does the water run warm after a similar amount
fo time? If not then it indicates that the stopcock is working and
there is flow from the solar tank.

I'll try that tomorrow. The stopcock is some 50 metres from the
building so it takes a while to try out ideas.

If the distance from the wooden tank isn't too much for the time to warm
water flowing, surely the water in it could flow warm if the sun had heated
the contents.

It's the middle of winter here and the water in the wooden tank is
definitely cold. I tested the shower and it is comfortably warm.

Ah, sorry - not thinking upside down.
--
Peter.
The head of a pin will hold more angels if
it's been flattened with an angel-grinder.

Tap won't turn off
 

On Jul 17, 5:05 am, PeterC wrote:
On Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:33:36 -0700 (PDT), Matty F wrote:
On Jul 17, 12:08 am, PeterC wrote:
On Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:32:27 +0100 (BST), Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:19:15 -0700 (PDT), Matty F wrote:

With the stopcock "off", after running a tap for a few minutes, the
water gets decidedly warm. This is quite likely to be backflow from
the solar-heated hot water cylinder on the roof.

With the stopcock "on" does the water run warm after a similar amount
fo time? If not then it indicates that the stopcock is working and
there is flow from the solar tank.

I'll try that tomorrow. The stopcock is some 50 metres from the
building so it takes a while to try out ideas.

If the distance from the wooden tank isn't too much for the time to warm
water flowing, surely the water in it could flow warm if the sun had heated
the contents.

It's the middle of winter here and the water in the wooden tank is
definitely cold. I tested the shower and it is comfortably warm.

Ah, sorry - not thinking upside down.

I now think that it's the non-return valve that isn't working and the
stop-cock is working OK.
The shower hot water is taken from the top of the hot water tank.
With the stop-cock open we get hot water from the shower.
With the stop-cock closed there is no hot water from the shower.
Therefore the stop-cock must be working OK.
I'll find out when the non-return valve is fixed. There should then be
no water at all from the other taps when the stop-cock is closed.

Tap won't turn off
 

On Jul 17, 7:15 pm, Matty F wrote:
On Jul 17, 5:05 am, PeterC wrote:



On Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:33:36 -0700 (PDT), Matty F wrote:
On Jul 17, 12:08 am, PeterC wrote:
On Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:32:27 +0100 (BST), Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:19:15 -0700 (PDT), Matty F wrote:

With the stopcock "off", after running a tap for a few minutes, the
water gets decidedly warm. This is quite likely to be backflow from
the solar-heated hot water cylinder on the roof.

With the stopcock "on" does the water run warm after a similar amount
fo time? If not then it indicates that the stopcock is working and
there is flow from the solar tank.

I'll try that tomorrow. The stopcock is some 50 metres from the
building so it takes a while to try out ideas.

If the distance from the wooden tank isn't too much for the time to warm
water flowing, surely the water in it could flow warm if the sun had heated
the contents.

It's the middle of winter here and the water in the wooden tank is
definitely cold. I tested the shower and it is comfortably warm.

Ah, sorry - not thinking upside down.

I now think that it's the non-return valve that isn't working and the
stop-cock is working OK.
The shower hot water is taken from the top of the hot water tank.
With the stop-cock open we get hot water from the shower.
With the stop-cock closed there is no hot water from the shower.
Therefore the stop-cock must be working OK.
I'll find out when the non-return valve is fixed. There should then be
no water at all from the other taps when the stop-cock is closed.

Fixed it today. The non-return valve was not working. The stopcock is
working perfectly.
When the non-return valve was faulty, if any tap was turned on, that
allowed water to drain from the hot water tank, thus water did not
circulate through the solar water heater.