Yellow/Brown water from hot taps

[mowgli]

I have a large bungalow with a vented indirect system. Boiler is Potterton Suprima serving 2 cylinders, one for living area, one for bathrooms. The bathroom one was served by underfloor flow and return pipes set in concrete until these started leaking. We employed a plumber to reroute the pipes through the loft. Although this seemed a simple job they had to have several attempts because they were trying to make do with one flexible pipe and link it in to the central heating system with various results. Eventually they appeared to do what I asked them to do in the first place - just reroute the pipes to connect them to the cylinder where the pipes came up through the floor by the cylinder in the airing cupboard and isolate the original pipes by cutting them off. We then had a leak through the ceiling because 'the A&E tank had overflowed because the ball valve was not used much'. The A&E tank has an overflow pipe. It turned out to be the washer on the float assembly. They left me to put in 2 pints of Sentinel 100 via the A&E tank in the loft and replace the lagging.
Although some of the radiators needed adjusting all seemed OK - until we put on the central heating. We started to get light brown/yellowish water through the hot taps in the bathroom. The water tank in the loft then started to overflow so I adjusted the level by bending the arm on the float. Upon checking I found that the A&E tank was just about empty. Both cylinders are relatively new. Tried getting the plumber back without success. Any ideas: New cylinder required? Airlock? Water levels in tanks? ...or is the pipework still misconnected? (I've had to get ideas via the net so forgive me if my ideas are rubbish)

 

[mrlennie]

Possible split coil although you say your hot water cylinders are new how new? is your F and E tank still over flowing?

Did you put the sentinel in the right tank? there should be two up there a big un and a small un the small un is the right one.

 

[mowgli]

Possible split coil although you say your hot water cylinders are new how new? is your F and E tank still over flowing?

Did you put the sentinel in the right tank? there should be two up there a big un and a small un the small un is the right one.

Thanks. Cylinders were pre-lagged and are about 10 years old.
Sentinel was put in F & E tank - now just about empty. Large tank has been overflowing until I bent arm.

 

[mrlennie]

Well if the coil was split there would be water coming up into the f and e. but it has gone somewhere. have you tried running your taps for 10mins seeing if you run out of water? If you do it's possible he's piped your hot water to your central heating.

 

[mrlennie]

So it seems like
New cylinder required? No Airlock? Def no Water levels in tanks? def no ...or is the pipework still misconnected? possibly.

 

[justlead1]

Hi. It may well be sediments in cistern / cylinder has been disturbed during the works, and put in to suspension. Or work been done on water company mains, local to your property. I would give it a week to see if it corrects it self before shelling out.

 

[mowgli]

So it seems like
New cylinder required? No Airlock? Def no Water levels in tanks? def no ...or is the pipework still misconnected? possibly.

Thanks again. No, water seems to be running OK.

 

[mrlennie]

It's cleared up or it keeps running yellow?

 

[mowgli]

Hi. It may well be sediments in cistern / cylinder has been disturbed during the works, and put in to suspension. Or work been done on water company mains, local to your property. I would give it a week to see if it corrects it self before shelling out.

Thanks justlead1.
Its been some time already as I've been in and out of hospital. Can't be mains as all other taps are OK - problem is just on the hot taps from the one cylinder, which wasn't disturbed during the work on the pipes.
Original plumber seems to be stirring so will keep you posted re cause. Meantime any ideas will be most welcome.

 

[mrlennie]

You can rule out being piped up to the central heating if the f and e tank is empty and is still running...

 

[mowgli]

It's cleared up or it keeps running yellow?

It keeps running after 10 minutes but is still yellow.

 

[mrlennie]

try leaving it running for longer say half hour if you have alot of rads it will have to empty all them too

 

[tamz]

Any ideas:

I think you need better plumbers.
It won't be disturbed sediment if it has been done more than a few days. Better to get someone else in who knows what they are doing. They will tell you within 5 minutes what it is.

 

[mowgli]

Thanks all - quick update.
Plumber is coming today.
After running hot water yesterday for over ten minutes the hot water today is a lot clearer with only a faint yellow tinge. Could the yellow tinge have been the Sentinel 100 getting into the hot water system somehow and now flushed through....leaving the rads unprotected?
However struggling up into the loft again I found that the F&E tank is still just about empty but looks like the float arm needs adjusting.
Took back the lagging again over the new pipework to find that the new flexible pipes had been teed off two copper pipes (hot to touch). Their location and direction means that they can only be part of the central heating system.