Overflow pipe dripping

[chris.fellows]

I live in a 1st floor flat and have an overflow pipe which is slowly dripping outside. The pipe is white, about 1 inch diameter and exits the building at floor height.

I suspect that it may be my immersion heater or bath. Could someone help me out?

The immersion heater has 2 electrical cables each connecting to a seperate power switch on the wall next to it. The top switch on the wall is on and the red power light is on. The bottom switch is on but the red light is off.

I've also noticed that my bath takes over 10 minutes to empty about

10cms of water. Could this also be a candidate for my problem?

[Jonathan Pearson]

Are you sure its not the toilet overflow? - the bath is probably co-incidental - but still needs unblocking Jon

[Phil L]

Unlikely to be immersion heater, also unlikely to be the bath, unless it's full to the brim most of the time. Where does the overflow from your toilet cistern go? - if it is a low level cistern, take the lid off and have a look inside, it's probably that which is constantly filling up and overflowing, if it is (you'll see the water going down a 1 inch pipe), flush the toilet and before it fills upo again, adjust the screw on the ballcock arm so that the ballcock doesn't rise as high, if it's on a metal arm, bend it slightly downwards (only about half an inch).

HTH

[goldpound]

What about your toilet? Have you checked the cistern? Might be that simple.

Bath overflow normally goes back into the drain.

[Me]

Put a few drips of different food colouring into each tank individually and see which tank leaks the relevant colour

[chris.fellows]

Thanks. Its a low level cistern. The water is at the same level as the top of the overflow pipe. Water was very slowly trickling in from the valve at the other end of the ballcock end so I've adjusted it as suggested.

I'll give it a day or so and check that the dripping has stopped.

[Phil L]

It should be about an inch below the level of the overflow to be on the safe side

[Sparks]

You may find the c*ck is dripping, possibly due to a small obstruction. I suggest, with the cistern full, bounce your ball up and down reasonably hard, this seems to release small debris trapped in the valve.

Otherwise you need to either take the valve apart (turning off the water first of course) and fix whatever is broken or word, or just get a new valve!

Sparks...

[nightjar]

Bending the arm is not now permitted.

Colin Bignell

[Guy King]

The message from "nightjar" contains these words:

Seriously? What prawn dreamed that one up?

[Stuart Noble]

Come on, you're 24 days late with that one!

[Dave Plowman (News)]

If it has a torbeck valve - a small all plastic device where the plastic float can be adjusted by moving it to different notches on the arm - they have a filter which can become blocked and sometimes the crud in a hard water area just makes them give up. Cleaning doesn't always work. Cheap in the sheds and easy to replace, though.

[Chris Bacon]

It's coming from the lavatory cistern, cold water tank, or central heating header tank. First of all get the lid off the cistern, and see whether the water gets up to the overflow pipe after a period of non-use.

[The Medway Handyman]

Bending the arm is not now permitted.

Says who? And how would they find out?

[nightjar]

If you bend the arm, it ceases to be of 'appropriate quality or standard' for the purposes of Regulation 4 of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999. The approved method is either to fit a valve with adequate adjustment, or to use an adjustable drop arm, which screws on in place of the ball and has the ball attached to it. However, you would not have room to fit a drop arm in a WC cistern, as they stick out at right angles to the main arm. I supply drop arms up to 3/4" diameter and I suspect that bending those is not an option anyway.

Colin Bignell

[nightjar]

The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 require that water fittings meet one of the approved standards and they only cover a device that has not been subjected to unauthorised modification.

Colin Bignell

[Chris Bacon]

nightjar If you bend the [float] arm, it ceases to be of 'appropriate quality or

Why? Can you psot the relevant wording of the above?

[nightjar]

'4. - (1) Every water fitting shall-

(a) be of an appropriate quality and standard; and

(b) be suitable for the circumstances in which it is used.

(2) For the purposes of this regulation, a water fitting is of an appropriate quality or standard only if-

(a) it bears an appropriate CE marking in accordance with the Directive;

(b) it conforms to an appropriate harmonized standard or European technical approval;

(c) it conforms to an appropriate British Standard or some other national specification of an EEA State which provides an equivalent level of protection and performance; or

(d) it conforms to a specification approved by the regulator.'

The relevant point is that water fittings now have to comply with one of the specified standards and that, as it is impossible to know the effects of all possible modifications, standards only apply to a device that has not been subjected to an unauthorised modification.

Colin Bignell

[Phil L]

Who cares? - apart from those set to profit from it?...it's no good coming the 'thou shalt not' rubbish spouted by those with a vested interest, and besides, a metal arm of a ballcock isn't a water fitting as such, it's merely *attached* to a mechanism for turning the water on or off....but, I assume it's an attempt to go the same way as other areas of plumbing, electricals, glazing etc, IE another money making scam.

[Guy King]

The message from "nightjar" contains these words:

Well (and it's not often I swear on usenet), Fuck 'em.