Water Leaking In My Bathroom Wall

[Warrior88 0]

Hi Warrior88,

Another support that T & P discharge PVC pipe should not go into drain hole.

"Once siphoning occurs, the liquid (be it dirty water, household chemicals, oil, etc.) will be drawn back into the water heater tank, thereby contaminating the household drinking water supply".

If PVC discharge pipe terminate at the drain hole, if your drain hole is choked and full with dirty water, your water heater tank will be contaminated.

About the T &P valve:

"A safety device called a temperature and pressure relief (T&P or TPR) valve, is normally fitted on the top of the water heater to dump water if the temperature or pressure becomes too high."

Thus, if there is water coming out of the T & P discharge PVC pipe, there is problem with the water heater (You are right, it may not be in the T & P valve). It is either in too high pressure or too high temperature that your water heater generates. Another possibility is that the T & P valve is spoil (loose or damaged).

If the discharge PVC pipe terminates near the wall and filled with gushing water from the water tank due to too high pressure or temperature, the wall will be wet, isn't it even if there is no pressure? If there is water continuously dripping from the PVC pipe near wall, the wall near it will be wet isn't it?

Thanks!

LOL ... siphon occurs due to pressure difference, from high to low. NO WAY, from drain hole to heater.

Okay, just to tease your mind. Why when you suck your straw, water travel up. Thats because our mouth create a vacuum (low pressure). Blaise Pascal theory still stands, unless you have new discovery. Then I guess you can save using those submissible pump for construction work

You would want to replace the T & P valve if you have water coming out of the pipe and it is draining either on the floor or in a floor drain.

You are right, The T&P valve should not be connected to a drain. If the valve did open, a sign that a problem exists, you might never know that it had opened. But then there are tell tales sign coming from the water heater tank that sounds like it is spitting water out or banging.

Okay, T&P valve open if T&P exceeds in the tank. Once T&P normalise. Valve will be close again.

Inside the heater, there is a float valve that close supply once desire water level is reached.

2 valve, my dear sister, 1 for T&P another for water level. So water will NEVER CONSTANTLY drip to the PVC.

Unlike the Copper, if stop cock is constantly open, regardless whether you use em or not. Water is still constantly coming in, due to your siphoning theory.

For PVC pipe leaks, you find wall is cold,moist and fungus liked, but water will never seeps through wall.

Only Copper with pressure difference due to "SIPHONING" can squeeze water through you wall.

[blueCrystal 1]

BS,

1. The "valve" hidden above false ceiling, is called "stop-cock".

2. T&P discharge pipe for only for water, but "pressurised air" (heater container needs to be sealed, air-tight, to prevent heat loss)as well - pressure created when tap water flow in or hot water flow out from heater container/reservoir.

3. From symptoms described, very likely to the the CU pipe's problem.

3-1. Even stop cock is on (all the way on, off only when maintenance done to heater reservoir) and mixer valve off, water will flow contineous fron the CU pipes (if there is a leak)

3-2 Cu pipie cannot bend 90 deg lah, need Rxx

3-3 Believed the leak in CU pipes should be at the 90 deg bend, see with magnify glass.

What is CU pipe? There are hot, cold copper pipe, T & P valve discharge pipe attached to the water heater. What is the CU pipe and where is it attached to the water heater?

[bepgof 20]

What is CU pipe? There are hot, cold copper pipe, T & P valve discharge pipe attached to the water heater. What is the CU pipe and where is it attached to the water heater?

CU=copper.

One "tap water" pipe in to heater container, usually at top portion of container., and, one CU pipe(hot) out from container. This hot cu pipe is "supposed" to be thermal insulated.

I worked in SGH's maintenance & facilities dept before, you know what, the hot water supply system is so old that, stop-cock's head became "rounded" and cannnot be "off" by any tool. The white thermal insulating cloth-like material turned "harden" and by one knock, one big piece cracked and dropped down.

I "bao" all those mechanical, electrical, electronic, building, aircon maintenance stuff - now become Jack of all trade, master of none. Anyway, just work there for abt 6 months cos found many systems there "too old to be maintained", and too costly to be replaced, and said bye bye. Telelift cart cut nurse's finger off, blood pack in cart and burst while transporting and blood dripped onto visitor's head and kena complaint. Aircon too cold and too hot also kena complained. Rotary ceiling fan on top of bed dropped down, luckily patient not on bed. Nurse-call system not working and no spare part and B1 patient got angered and "pulled" away the whole set....Raining day, false ceiling get wet and become too heavy and dropped down onto visitor....so many incidents. Work till no night no day. On & off at underground tunnel saw dead bodies being carried away...

Centralise hot water supply system once problematic, be prepared to drain $. Mixer, sometime could be difficult to find in market too.

"cold" or "tap" wate pipes usually, even within 20 years, don't give problem. It is the "hot" pipe, contract and expand on & off, copper becomes "tired" and refused to work to its intended function anymore and goes on strike.

It is an "indian's" work to bent the cu pipes as what you've drawn. Should use "joint" for 90 degree bend. If not, copper pipe's external wall get stretched and become thinner - become a "hidden" time bomb. For my house, I supervised the aircon installation process the whole day - no break!. Told the electricians not to bend the cu pipes at 90 deg. He siad I "old bird". Basically I don't want "timed bomb" being placed at my home.

Few days after took over keys for my previous condo(sold in 2009), brought one ladder and open up false ceiling's cuttings and located the 2 heater reservoir and familiar my self with all the stop-cocks. I don't want one day, pipe burst and don't know where/how to stop the water flow.

Edited October 9, 2010 by bepgof

[blueCrystal 1]

Just an update for the problem.

I have managed to solve the leaking problem. The problem is caused by the PVC discharge or overflow pipe from the water heater. When the water heater has problem or Temperature or Pressure spoil, there will be hot water coming from the water heater and poured to the discharge pipe.

In my home, the PVC discharge pipe is buried to the corner of my bathroom wall. It causes the wall very wet after shower.

I see some of the water heater installation photos and they also have PVC discharge pipe buried to the wall. Please take a note that it may cause your wall wet.

Some of you may believe that the discharge pipe is connected to the floor drainage. I did a test that it does. But it doesn't totally connect, meaning that there is a air gap between the PVC pipe somewhere in the wall.

After I changed water heater, the wall is dry now. It saved me thousand of dollars quoted by some plumbers.

[Warrior88 0]

Glad that you had solve your problem.

But I still don't see why would anyone buried PVC discharge pipe at the corner of the bathroom wall and not at the drainage hole.

Anyway, at least now you have a new heater

[LouiseBrown 0]

I haven't checked this forum for a very long time.

I am glad that you have solved your problem. I have some 20 years experience using Ariston electrical water heaters.

You must change them every 5-6 years. They are not meant to last beyond it.

It's better to change them before leakage occurs. I once had this nightmare experience of it leaking heavily whilst the whole family was on an overseas holiday. We have learnt our lesson too.

[Ubin Girl 0]

Just an update for the problem.

I have managed to solve the leaking problem. The problem is caused by the PVC discharge or overflow pipe from the water heater. When the water heater has problem or Temperature or Pressure spoil, there will be hot water coming from the water heater and poured to the discharge pipe.

In my home, the PVC discharge pipe is buried to the corner of my bathroom wall. It causes the wall very wet after shower.

I see some of the water heater installation photos and they also have PVC discharge pipe buried to the wall. Please take a note that it may cause your wall wet.

Some of you may believe that the discharge pipe is connected to the floor drainage. I did a test that it does. But it doesn't totally connect, meaning that there is a air gap between the PVC pipe somewhere in the wall.

After I changed water heater, the wall is dry now. It saved me thousand of dollars quoted by some plumbers.

[Ubin Girl 0]

Hi Blurcrystal!

Just saw your entry. How did you know that your heater was spoilt? I just have a similar problem. My old Pheem heater (water tank) spoilt (it's been at leat 10 year-old) as we bought over the apt with the old heater. We have used it for almost a year when one day, there was no hot water anymore. So we asked a plumber to check and he said the heating element is spoilt so we had to change a new one. We replaced a new Rheem, exactly the same specs. Howver, one week later, water seeped from the false ceiling above and I checked that there was dripping from the overflow pipe. Got the plumber to come several times and finally, they said that it was because the overflow pipe is choked?!. The pipe is concealed into the wall so they suggested having another waterflow 'PVC' tube run to the air pipe (tube).

Now that I read that your whole problem is only due to a faulty water heater, I'm wondering if mine is the same as well although mine is a brand new heater and there is hot water when we shower.

I'll have to monitor the prblem and see if the new 'pipe' works. I'm just afraid it's some lousy shoddy work and that the plumber didn't want to change a another heater for me. But did you get an explanation why faulty heater will cause this overflowproblem?

Thanks!