Water is pouring out from a pipe near the roof?

Question

It used to pour out whenever the central heating was on, but lately it's been constantly pouring.

It's not the toilet overflow as some people have suggested.

The pipe is coming from just under the roof, so i imagine it's from the loft.

Any ideas?

Very funny Chris.

It hasn't rained 24 hours a day, 7 days a week since the Ark.

I know what a gutter is!

Answer 1

Go into your loft you will have probably 2 cisterns (water tanks)in the loft a large one that holds your stored water (hot & some cold taps) & possibly a small one that is a feed & expasion cistern for your boiler.
In either case it could just be the ball valve or it could relate to a more serious problem, if the water in either of the two cisterns is warm or indeed sodding hot then I'm afraid a call to a plumber will be in order.

Seriously as a professional please don't go changing the speed on your pump if you have had no work done on your heating system lately then it is not going to suddenly decide to pump water into the cistern and out the overflow, and these should have been sized correctly at install and set up acordingly, & if that is what is happening then you really need a plumber anyway to rectify the fault.

Good luck.

Answer 2

I agree with Stephen's answer, but you may not have to call the plumber.
When you have established that the water is overflowing from the cold water tank, push the ballcock (the large ball which is floating on the water) well down below the surface. The further you push it down, the faster the water will run. If there is a little piece of grit, or something else, stuck in the valve, this may clear it out. Loose the ballcock, so that it floats back to the surface, and see if the water stops running. If it does, then you have fixed it!
If it is still running, then lift the ball as far up as you can, without forcing it, and see if that stops the flow. If it does, then the ballcock needs to be adjusted. If it doesn't, then you will still need the plumber.
To adjust the ballcock, you need to hold up the arm, which the ball is attached to, at the end nearest to the valve, and then push down on the ball end, thus bending the arm. This has the effect of closing the valve before the water level reaches the overflow pipe.
Don't be afraid to attempt this as it is nowhere near as complex as it sounds.
Good Luck,
Brian
P.S. Another thought. It may not be the cold water tank. It could be the cold water feed to your central heating system. Either way, it will probably have a ball valve, so the procedure is exactly the same.
To establish which tank is over flowing, before you go into the loft, have another look at where the overflow pipe is situated outside and try to work out where that is when you are in the loft. All you have to do then is follow the pipe back to the tank that is overflowing.
Darren's answer also makes a lot of sense. Ignore the rest!

Answer 3

It's most likely the cold water tank overflow, the ballcock may be stuck due to the valve being jammed.

Go up to the loft and carefully remove the lagging around the tank, if the water level is at the overflow line (outlet hole) then thats it. If you don't know how to unjam or maintain the valve then just turn off the inlet. There might be a gate valve near the inlet, if there's not then find the main stopcock and close it. The tank should have enough water for a day so then call the plumber in the morning.

Answer 4

Its your storage tank overflow. The valve (ballcock) in the tank must be leaking so this lets water constantly flow into the tank so to prevent the tank from overflowing and destroying you ceiling the water flows out this overflow pipe and safely outside.

You will need to replace the washer in the ballcock the washer will only cost a few pence and is simple to do. If you don't know anyone who can do it . You can call a plumber and it is the cheapest and easiest job for them to do so it wont cost that much .But you do need to get it done before the leak gets to bad.

Also if it used to happen when you central heating was on you need to turn down your central heating pump as this must be pumping water into the storage tank and causing it to overflow as well. This is a waste of hot water and will damage any radiators you have and will add to your heating bills . If you turn the pump speed down a bit it should stop it if not the plumber can fix it easily for you.

Answer 5

You have a tank in your loft.
It is the Main Water tank. It feeds the Heating and Hot Water system.
I have one as well. My pipe gushes water if I try to use the hose and have the Cold (high pressure) tap as well as the Hot (Low Pressure) tap running at the same time. The cold water forces its way into the hot water pipes, as it is a lower pressure, and refills the tank.


The way I found to stop it quickly was to run the cold tap in the bath with no plug in.
This drained the excess water from the tank and away from the overflow pipe.
I suggest that if the water is coming out either continually or for no apparent reason, you should get into the loft and check the Ball-valve that controls the filling of the tank as it may have stuck.
The overflow can't keep up with the main water flowing in so you may end up with a major flood upstairs if it isn't sorted out!


Good Luck



:~}

Answer 6

There are probably two tanks in your loft.

A big one that provides the head of water for the hot water system and (in some houses) also feeds your toilet cysterns and upstairs cold taps.

A small one that provides the head of water for your central heating system.

Both of these contain ball-cocks (sometimes called float valves). The tanks also have overflow pipes. If one of these ball cocks has stuck then water will keep entering the tank and pass through the overflow pipe.

The cure is to replace the ball valve. They cost about £6 from B&Q or Wikes and are straightforward enough to change IF YOU FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS in the packet and have suitable spanners.

Answer 7

Shheesh, all this good advice and not one safety warning!!!!!

Be careful you don't get hurt if you go into the attic, be careful what you are touching in case it is live electricity!

Watch where you step, you don't want expensive repairs to the ceilings or worse have you falling through it.

Lights can fail so consider how easy it is to manoeuvre up there in the dark and then decide whether it may be a good idea to have two light sources just in case one does fail!

Have an assistant in case of unforeseen accident, or a situation that on your own quickly develops into a disaster but with a helper can be a momentary setback while they pass the monkey wrench, the medium widget driver, or 3/4 gadget atrophier that saves the day!

Answer 8

Id say uncle bob is the winner here. If your air handler is in the attic most likely that is what it is from. might want to check it to make sure there is not a reason for it flowing heavily. Also if your water heater is in your attic, it could be leaking. Check for this too. Any utility appliance that is inside the living space or is on the same plane of the house living space should have an emergency drain line run out of the house to prevent damage.

Answer 9

it sounds like the overflow for your central heating unit. the heater sits in a metal pan made so the condension which accurs when the heater is working doesnt stain the ceiling of the house. one drain drains to the inside plumbing and when it plugs the water is diverted to the overflow, this drips so you can tell when to unplug the other drain

Answer 10

Sounds like the T+P ( temperatiure and pressure valve) on your water heater is bad and allowing water to blow out the heater and down through that pipe.