My new Ideal Standard toilet cistern has no provision for an overflow. Although the fitting instructions show two filling holes and a blanking plug for one is supplied with it. But the cistern had only the one hole.
Would the supplied syphon unit incorporate an overflow - to go down the cistern output? I asked on their help line. They didn't know.
Normally, yes it would. In fact i believe it is a regulation now. (to save water)
AIUI if the cistern is overflowing into the pan, it's more obvious than if it's dribbling down outside somewhere, as the water in the pan can be seen to be rippling, thus drawing attention to the leaking inlet valve.
Yup, modern cisterns overflow into the pan.
They used to use the same logic for forcing and external one - that there are consequences for ignoring it that would not apply if it were self contained like modern ones.
The weakness in the argument was the people did ignore it anyway, and hence there was more damage caused by the external overflow on top of any water wastage.
The modern option is neater and cheaper to install as well.
Thanks chaps. I'll stop panicking now.
Must admit to thinking an external oveflow might be more noticeable than a trickle down the pan? And get more urgent attention?
A steady trickle down the back of the pan can be well nigh invisible unless the light is very good.
Not good if you?re on a water meter.
Tim
How does that save water? Brian
Possibly the same way as a phone app saves electricity (as mentioned on the radio this morning by one of the "green" campaigners).
Oh, and by the way, going green is not going to cost as much as once predicted and the government will be paying £10ks to each household for insulation and heatpumps - presumably from the magic money tree that none of us pay into.
Yes.
Our flush unit quite often doesn't finish, just pours perpetually until you give it another press. Usually when you've just flushed the bog then got in the bath, so you've to get back out. The bastard.
People notice the overflow sooner.
That should help Cellotex through their current problems. ;-)
I've noticed the rippling in one of my pans takes a long time (2-3 mins) to settle down after flushing, but it does eventually stop. As pointed out keep a close look at your water meter, tricky at present because we don't really leave the house for long enough !
But what you tend to notice immediately is that it is still dripping when next going to the toilet.
I don't think it really matters how the overflow is implemented with regards noticing it. In these days of dreary wet or misty weather I hardly go out to my back garden so wouldn't see an overflow dripping nor see that the ground where the water lands is wet because its always wet from rain or mist. I may hear a steady stream of water if the flow was high but only if I was in the back of the house, and perhaps not even then with double glazing attenuating sounds.
With an overflow into the toilet it may only be evident that it was still dripping maybe after a couple of days of visits to the loo. Obviously a high flow of water would be detectable much sooner.
Probably sub-consciously when I pass by my understairs space I hear water flowing in the incoming pipe - or possibly no water flowing. On more than one occasion in the past few decades I have wondered why water is flowing when none should be and have discovered that I've left a hose running in the garden or I haven't turned a tap fully off.
Hence the correct name for an overflow, "Warning Pipe".
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