Totally OT: Water tank weirdness

The problem started with the appearance of dust and grit falling into the bath. It was not at all obvious where it was coming from. With showers being preferred, the bath is little used, so this wasn't coming from the taps. I climbed into the roof space above the bathroom, but nothing was apparently amiss.

In the roof space there is an old tank, which I surmise was once the hot water tank. It has long been unused, and was presumably left there because it would be difficult to remove, and there was no compelling reason to do so. There is also some pipework that I had originally presumed was unused.

It's very dusty up there, and I have to wear a proper filter mask. As I was returning the mask to the garage area below the living area of the house, where I keep such things, I heard a noise coming from the hot water tank. Turned out there was a leak from where the heating element goes in. Given that the tank is under pressure, the leak was making a hissing noise.

Now, some years ago, I tried to trace the origin of the water-hammer noise, searching under the house without success.

My visit to the roof space made me wonder whether that pipe was really unused. Indeed it appears to have been sealed off. I now think that one part of it goes down the wall into the garage area to join the hot water output, with the other part heading down to the laundry. And where it goes down the wall is close to where the dust and grit is falling into the bath.

All of which makes me think that the dust and grit in the bath and the leak in the hot water tank are not unrelated. My theory is that this is the pipe that makes the water-hammer noise, given that it's not well attached to the framework, and that the tank leak changed the hammer pattern enough for the pipe to disturb different dust/grit in the roof space which is then able to enter the bathroom through a small gap in the ceiling trim.

On one level, this seems rather far-fetched. Yet the coincidence in timing is remarkable.

Sylvia.

Reply to
Sylvia Else
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The tank shouldn't be under any pressure at all if it's not being used. I presume you have a more modern hot water service somewhere else on the property?

If you do, then the supply and feed pipes to this old lump should have been cut and capped off....

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Reply to
Noddy

The tank in the garage is the current hot water storage tank/heater.

Sylvia.

Reply to
Sylvia Else

If you can access the other end of the pipe in question it should be easy enough to cut and cap it. Is it copper or gal? A plumber shouldn't charge too much to do a simple job like that if you can't do it yourself. Does your bathroom have a ceiling fan? If so that the most likely place the dust will be coming from, newer ceiling fans have a flap that closes when the fan is not in use so fitting a new ceiling fan should solve the dust problem. You could also use No More Gaps to seal "a small gap in the ceiling trim".

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Daryl
Reply to
Daryl

Darren, I'm shocked! You've posted a reasonable response, one I could agree with, and not a sign of your usual hate filled vitriol and invective. Keep it up, it might be a harbinger of a new you, and not before time.

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Xeno 


Nothing astonishes Noddy so much as common sense and plain dealing. 
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Reply to
Xeno

Get a plumber to disconnect the water supply to the old rood mounted tank if it's not done already.

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Reply to
Noddy

Sylvia Else wrote

That's not the reason for water hammer.

Due to air getting in.

The fix is to fix the leak, fill the small gap in the ceiling trim.

Nope, water hammer moves the dust and dirt off the pipe.

Reply to
Rod Speed

Its the new tank in the garage that is under pressure and is leaking, stupid.

They have and she says that.

Reply to
Rod Speed

Given that the tank is under pressure, I can't see how air could get in. Any hole results in water coming out, not air going in.

Sylvia.

Reply to
Sylvia Else

If it's that "machine-gun" hammer when the tap is turned on, take it apart and wrap Teflon tape around the washer spindle to reduce the clearance. Of course a new tap would be better.

Reply to
Peter Jason

Sylvia Else wrote

Its more complicated than that, there is air at the top of the hot water cylinder.

Reply to
Rod Speed

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