Need to make a new hot tap connection downstairs and I have a cold water tank in loft. The gate valve from the tank is seised, bungs don't seal to seal properly and i can't see another way round it apart from draining the cold water tank, any other ideas?
Draining Hot Water Cylinder
- Thread starter kevinsmbuk
- Start date
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The water from a hot water cylinder comes out of the top
What makes you think you need to drain it?
Turn off the water supply and turn on a bath tap until the cold water tank is empty.
Depending on plumbing convention in your district (it varies) the cold bath tap might drain it, or you might have to use the hot.
You can fit a new gate valve if you want, once it's empty.
What makes you think you need to drain it?
Turn off the water supply and turn on a bath tap until the cold water tank is empty.
Depending on plumbing convention in your district (it varies) the cold bath tap might drain it, or you might have to use the hot.
You can fit a new gate valve if you want, once it's empty.
I would guess it's because the cold feed into the HW cylinder is seized, so unlees there is a valve on the cylinder outlet (unlikely) he has to drain the tank.
It might be possible to reach down into the CW tank and block the outlet, I did that when I had a similar problem.
But he seems to think he has to drain the cylinder.
Which is not necessary.
A cylinder is not a tank
Or a cistern.
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He didn't say that, he just said drain the CW tank.
What bungs are you using? If they are proper bungs then they shouldn't have an issue sealing, it really is a bit of a no brainer process. Get a lever valve to replace the gate valve.
Tank connectors have some way of stopping it turning during fitting. Mine has internal splines and a flat face, so I used a mushroom-shaped thingy with plumber's mait. Other types have raised projections on the face, so a rubber bung in the hole should do it.
OK he said something different in the title from the main post. I doubt if he meant that, perhaps he'll tell us.
1. Assuming its the gate valve on the cold feed to the hot water cylinder which is faulty:
1a. Make sure you have appropriate sized (probably 22 mm, could be 28 mm) push fit stop end handy.
1b. Freeze the pipe between cold water storage cistern and the gate valve. Use a big enough freeze kit like Screwfix 900FJ
1c. Remove the gate valve and replace with a decent quality (Pegler?) lever valve.
1d. If freeze fails, use the stop end - fast.
1e. Worth having some rolled old towels / cloths to use as a bung in extremis.
2. Turn off new valve, work on hot tap.
1a. Make sure you have appropriate sized (probably 22 mm, could be 28 mm) push fit stop end handy.
1b. Freeze the pipe between cold water storage cistern and the gate valve. Use a big enough freeze kit like Screwfix 900FJ
1c. Remove the gate valve and replace with a decent quality (Pegler?) lever valve.
1d. If freeze fails, use the stop end - fast.
1e. Worth having some rolled old towels / cloths to use as a bung in extremis.
2. Turn off new valve, work on hot tap.
Turn off water mains and drain it all down then fit new lever valves where needed.
Don't risk freezing.
Andy
Don't risk freezing.
Andy
Yeah that. Even if you're on a meter it's only 100 litres or so (like 0.1 of a cubic metre), freezing can go wrong and you have to work fairly fast
Your right, title worded incorrectly. Didn't mean drain the cylinder, just the cold water tank.
Crap ones obviously! one's my builder gave me, but they dont fit in the outlets from the cold tank. Yes would get a full bore lever valve but didn't have time to mess around and access is restrictive.
Ended up draining the cold water tank, doesn't take too long but bit of a waste of water.
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