Morris Minor Owners Club

I know I have asked this before but I cannot remember what the reply was Its about a domestic hot water cylinder and my query was this how can I tell if the coil inside my hot water cylinder had a hole (perforated) it, I have been given all sorts of answers. From the water comming out of the hot water taps being discoloured and many other suggestions. I have been told that the colour of the water is not always true. I want to make sure befor I spend nearly £300 pounds on a cylinder. This is whats happening water is comming back up the expantion and feed tank (the smaller tank of the 2 the one that keeps the central heating topped up)pipe in the loft and then comming out of the over flow pipe.Its not the ball cock a doodle diddley thats causing the problem, that new. A plumber came while I was away and charged my wife £75 to fit a new one, less than 15 mins plus a cup of tea he was doing a job on the house next door

Does sound like a problem with the hot water coil - but there are plenty of domestic heating folks on here who will give you the correct answer. Surely a new tank doesn't cost as much as £300? Shop around.

Surely a new tank doesn't cost as much as £300? Shop around.

Unfortunately they do My water cylinder has sprung a leak and I've temporarily patched it with some sealant from B&Q but I don't know how long it will last. Not wishing to hijack the original post but if any plumbers here can suggest a way to repair a small leak without replacing the entire water cylinder I'd be very grateful

I had a hole in the coil in the hot tank. The reason I found it was because the static tank was overflowing and when I looked into the tank I could see the hot water flowing back into the tank from the outlet pipe to the hot tank. Can't remember how much it cost as it was a few years ago.

Here's one on ebay ! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/hot-water-copper- ... 3a53bccec1

And there are MANY more!

This one only 2 years old - and only 99p - ideal! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/copper-hot-water- ... 3356959932

Also plenty of BRAND NEW ones - with reasonable delivery cost - at ~ half the figure mentioned!

cheapest price I've been quoted so far is for tank only is £235 plus vat then there is the fittings plus heater plus the fitting of it if I don't do it my self I was quoted £100!!!! that includes £45 call out fee I should have been a plumer instead of a BT engineer (now retired )

Easy enough 'fit'! The new ones on ebay are much less than that - even including delivery. I'm sure you can transfer the 'heater' - from old to new.

yip should have been a plumber and then could charge
£45 an hour (but only if they make you a tea)
£65 if they do not

but i would not waste my time fitting a second hand cylinder
get a new one ....
they tell you it is only 2 years old but it might be 10 ....
but you will get £40 for the old one at the scrappy.

yes its me again, do we have any central heating members among our members, far i have had 3 plumbers out to attend to a overflow pipe leaking in the loft, its the pipe that keeps the central heating side of the system topped ( the small tank F&E tank not the large one) i told the last 2 that it was not the ball cock a doodle diddley as the first guy changed it I asked them was it possible that the coil inside the cylinder had perforated and they replied if it had then the water from the hot taps would be discoloured, I have asked this question on a diy forum and the replies back wide and varied. does anyone know how to tell for shore please

Try tying the ballcock off so no more water goes to the header tank.
If it's overflowing, then too much water is going into the system somewhere.

It IS the internal pipe that's leaking! We sorted that out ages ago!! There is no other possible source of the water - change the tank!
If you really want to test it - then take the pipes down leading to/from the heating coil - and see if water runs out the tank connections!
The hot water won't be discoloured - because it is at much higher pressure than the heating coil - so the leak is IN to the coil and not the other way. These plumbers......... Did any of them speak English ??

Najprawdopodobnie, nie!

"Most credibly, not!" - seemingly!

Near enough....I reckon "Most probably not".

I timed a temporary return to England rather badly in 2005....there were so many Poles flooding in that I found it hard to get work. I had no recent work record or references, having been away for ten years, so I ended up working with Polish builders and plumbers for a spell.
Rather good they are, the ones with trade qualifications and experience.

hi bmc as a matter of fact 2 were english 1 was welsh, when i tried explaining aabout the water levels in the tanks i felt as though i was speaking double dutch because they did not seem to grasp what i was saying. they asked me where i was getting this info from and when i told them the mm forum they just laugh it would seem that in this neck of the woods the water system operates differently when it come to LEEKS oops i ment Leaks . I seem to get more sense from our forum than any other.
Thanks again BMC
jimmy

Hi

To check if water is leaking from your heating system into the domestic hot water several ways of doing this.

1 put some food dye into your central heating tank - try something bright like green or purple! If it comes out of your water taps then definately a leak between the systems.

2 shut off your main water tank by tying up the ball valve. Run off cold water until water stops flowing then open a hot tap again until water stops flowing. If it dosent stop flowing completely and the heating tank starts filling then you have a leak.

3 switch off heating, tie up heating ball valve and drain some water from your heating system until it just about empties the feed tank, probably only about 1 gallon. Have a cup of tea or two and then look at the feed tank - has it filled up again via the hot water system? then you have a leak.

Worth trying these if your heating was working ok previously.

Most common reason for f&e tank overflow (apart from a faulty ball valve) is incorrect piping/pumping arrangements on the heating system sometimes its just that the pump speed setting has been increased and is pumping over the heating overflow pipe. Also the ball valve should be set so that the tank only just fills enough to float the ball float when the heating is cold the rest of the tank can then take the water when it heats up and expands.

Hope this helps

Taupe

Excellent tips there! Could make Green Tea.

yes folks you were all right it was the coil that had gone in the cylinder, I know want to fit motorised valves, does any one know if it matters as to which way they are fitted i/e vertical or horizontal

Mine is horizontal, I know because 1/2 an hour ago I finally traced an intermittent earth tripping fault to a leaky stem seal in mine, allowing a trace of moisture to bridge the microswitches to earth Taken weeks to find it!

Well mine is vertical so it looks like it just depends on how your pipework is run.