• admin
• December 21, 2018

How to Control Overflow of Cold Water Tank & Hot Water Tank

Overflow of water tanks is a common problem faced in residential, commercial and industrial facilities. Whether it’s a cold water tank or hot water tank overflowing, the issue should be addressed fast to avoid water wastage as well as unnecessary water costs.

There are different reasons why residential or industrial water storage tanks overflow, and there are different ways to fix that. Here is some brief information on how you can control the overflow of cold and hot water tanks.

Overflow of Cold Water Tanks

If you find water pouring or dripping from a pipe pointing out of the building or from eaves of roof, then a cold water tank is overflowing. This may be the smaller feed & expansion cistern putting water into central heating circuit or it may be the storage cistern for cold water supplying the cold water bathroom taps and hot water cylinder.

Why Cold Water Tanks Overflow

The most common cause – faulty ball valve

The cause most commonly leading to overflow of a residential or industrial cold water storage tank is an erroneous ball valve. This ball valve is responsible for controlling the water level in the cistern through a plastic float sitting on the water surface. As the cistern’s water level rises, a washer is pushed onto valve seating by the float – a plastic nozzle within the valve body. Water flow into the cistern is stopped by this.

Foreign materials like limescale, dirt, grit, or damage to the washer or the valve seating may prevent the water tight seal. General wear & tear may lead to chipping or splitting of the valve seating edges, and cracking or splitting of the washer.

How to Fix the Overflow

Although it’s cheap to replace the valve seating and washer, it might be easier and simpler to replace the complete valve. A good quality, brand new valve will be reliable, cost-effective, and will offer you the peace of mind of getting the problem fixed.

Another cause – mixer valves

Even when the ball valve works correctly, still a cold water cistern may overflow. This situation depends largely on your plumbing system’s configuration. If you have recently installed a shower with mixer valve or new mixer tap which is fed by mains, this might be the reason behind the issue.

The mains water at high pressure displaces the water at low pressure from hot water cylinder, forcing it back into cold water cistern. In case the cistern overflows only when a certain mixer shower or mixer tap is open, this is certainly the cause then. Alternatively, the reason may be a pre-existing mixer shower or mixer tap that has developed an internal leak.

How to Fix the Overflow

The solution is fitting a quality non-return valve at hot feed pipe to shower or tap.
As the solution, hot feed pipe to shower or tap should be fit with a quality non-return valve.

Overflow of Hot Water Tanks

Overflow of a hot water tank (also called a hot water heater) should be taken quite seriously to prevent any major hazards (like explosion).

Why Hot Water Heaters Overflow

A water heater includes a safety feature known as “temperature pressure relief valve”. At times when pressure builds up within a water heater, it is released by the TPR valve. TPR valve is fixed with a discharge pipe which targets the overflow at the ground or floor where the water heater is located.

If TPR valve malfunctions, pressure within the tank may lead to explosion of the tank, resulting in serious damages to your home.

If TPR valve begins overflowing and has a constant drip, it’s a sign of malfunction of the overflow valve. This may happen if the valve has become weak over time. This may also happen if mineral deposits build up within the valve.

How to Fix Water Heater Overflow

It’s crucial to check your TPR valve annually and replace it when necessary. This would also eliminate the risk of any major hazards like explosion of the water tank. Seek the assistance of experienced technicians specializing in fixing hot water tank/water heater issues to get your TPR valve checked and replaced.

Summing Up

This information would help you understand the reasons behind the overflow of your cold water tank or hot water tank, and know how you can get the issue resolved. Hire reliable professionals with expertise in fixing overflows of industrial storage tanks or residential water storage tanks, to get the overflow problem solved

• cold water tank
• hot water tank
• Overflow of tanks