What do you need to know about Overflow pipes?

Takeaways 1 Overflow pipes can be found on cold water and central heating tanks, hot water cylinders, toilet cisterns, combi boilers, sinks and baths. 2 Most overflow pipes lead to the outside of the house. 3 Their purpose is to prevent the tanks or basins from overflowing and damaging your home.

What causes an overflow pipe in a cistern to leak?

Overflow pipe leaking? When an overflow pipe is dripping or running with water, one of the most common causes is a problem with a float valve. Float valves are found in toilet cisterns, cold water tanks and central heating feed and expansion tanks.

Why is the toilet overflow pipe in my house leaking?

This is usually due to a faulty ball valve . The first thing to do is to identify which of the cisterns in your house is overflowing – if the overflow pipe is at ground floor or first floor level, then the toilet cistern is probably the culprit.

Why is my hot water tank overflow pipe dripping?

If You find the hot water tank overflow pipe dripping at some point, we will have to come to an assumption that there is some sort of a defect in your overflow valve. But still, you cannot come into a solid conclusion as yet, since it is just an indication of a malfunction in your overflow valve. But we can dig deeper on this later on.

Where does the water come from in a bathroom overflow?

If the leaking pipe is at ground or first-floor level, then it’s likely to be your bathroom overflow pipe dripping, which will be coming from the toilet cistern. However, if it’s at loft level and protrudes from the eaves of the roof, then it could be coming from your cold-water or central heating feed and expansion tank.