yellow water from taps??

S

seanied

Registered User
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My neighbour has yellow, copper smelling water coming from his taps in his bathrooms and in the cistern of toilets? The tap in the kitchen is perfect.
We checked the tank in the attic, we took a glass of water out of it and it is clear, we also took a glass of the water coming into it and it is clear also.
There is sediment in the bottom of the tank, could be there from the builders.

Any ideas what to do, should we drain the whole system and clean out the tank or just call in the plumber??

Cheers
 
You should get your water tested by a certified laboratory.This will clarify what the problem is if any.
Is there any yellow staining on the side and the bottom of your storage tank in the attic.It sounds like you have an iron problem.
Is it a private well or mains water
 
Are you sure the cold water in bathrooms are affected? e.g toilet.

If hot is only affected it is most probably caused by a hole in the heating coil of the cylinder. This allows heating and plumbing water to mix. It has a yellow tinge.

A telltail sign of this is that one tank in attic with continously overflow as the water tries to balance itself between the two tanks.
 
Yes it is only the cold water taps and the toilet that are affected.

The water is from the town mains, no other similar problems in the area
 
i had the same problem recently. i posted on here but no replies. strange problem alright, still cant figure it out. its only on the downstairs bathroom tap, all others are fine and mine is mains water also...
 
Would draining the tank in the attic and cleaning it out be a good idea for a start to try and resolve this problem or could this cause me other problems?
 
kkman, whats the pressure in that tap like compared to others?
Because the problem is local to one tap, I would investigate tap I.E open and look at condition of spindle. After that I would turn off water and blow air through line to check on how clear it is.

seanid. Always a good idea to clear sediment from tank, Drain tank, you will be left with 2" of water all round. Tilt tank gently and prop something under it on the side away from tank connector. this will drain off more water.
For best results use a wet vac to clear tank, although I have often used a plastic dust pan to remove remaining sediment on water.
Give the tank a good flushing out afterwards.
 
All tanks should be cleaned and sterilised every so often Of course this rarely happens.

If you do not wish to pay a competent plumber solve you problems Milton is a readily available plastic tank sterilising product Follow any dilution and use instructions carefully.
 
Thanks for the advice. I'll clean out the tank this weekend and hopefully this will sort the problem.
Thanks again
 
Davy, was thinking about your answer to this, ie, system water mixing in the cylinder through a hole in the coil....
If it's on the cold taps only then maybe this is a so called 'semi-sealed' system feeding into sytem water directly from the domestic water tank (have seen it too many times!) and the non-return valve may have failed allowing system water to mix into the tank, again as you said giving the yellow color.......
 

Possible.
I worked in the UK for a few years and never saw this type of installation. I remember the first time I saw it when I came home, I could find the expansion vessel and assumed the auto filling valve/loop was in atttic as I traced the feed pipe. To my horror, I found the heating feed coming from the plumbing storage tank. NRV or not, this is in breach of so many water supply by-laws?
 
Well spotted I agree with this theory being explored.
The heating feed is often teed of a plumbing feed pipe. everytime heating system heats a failed non-return valve may allow a plug of rust coloured water to expand back into plumbing pipe-work.

Fresh water then enters heating system water when it cools and contracts.
If this turns out to be the case don't forget tank cleaning when you have powerflushed the rads.
 
Yeah Davy. I agree that it is such bad practice and shuddered when I came across it the first time (slowly becomming immune)
 
My system seems to be the semi sealed system you are talking about lads.
Should this the valve before the non return valve be closed or should this be open. It is currently open.
If i cold closed this and then the "yellow water" disappeared i would know it was the non return valve that was faulty, true??
 
Only if the heating is fed from a low pressure source or tank it is usually found in open position.

A careful plumber would switch on the system from cold and check for warm expanded water traveling back through the non return valve. either by feel or with a sensitive digital themometer.
He would be reluctant to close a low pressure feed valve without ensuring that the system had a functioning expansion vessel and safety valve.

I have seen a boiler safety valve outlet plugged off by some fool because it had been weeping due to a failed and flooded expansion vessel.
 
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I have seen worse, and another only the other day was a boiler with prv blow off into the room! Customer has a little crawling kiddie, imagine what 3bar 80deg water would do to him!

As for feeling for warm system water, I would normally close the gate valve (again why plumbers don't use filling loops I will never know..grrr) and disconnect directly below it, run system, if I see water then prv is faulty.
 
I think DGOBS means NRV.

You could always fit a gauge and filling loop and disconnect from tank altogether.

I really don't get these semi saeled systems.
 
Sorry typo. NRv

Davy IMHO semi sealed are done for one reason only and that is to cover up shoddy plumbing and possible leaks

I agree with the sentiment to remove and replace with filling loop and gauge but in the past when I have done it have found systems leaking like a strainer. And usually underfloor somewhere
 


Ha ha, you may be right,
When we first returned home, we rented a house with a semi sealed and was always annoyed by the bubbling sound from one rad.
I had to investigate, found a semi sealed and knew there was a leak. Funny thing was a neighbour complained of the exact same symtoms, broke my heart to tell him.

If an installer has no fate in his work, fit an automatic filling unit.
 
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