Please Help - Hot Water / Overflow issues

[Ar.1987]

I’ve had my narrowboat since 2017 and never had any issues like this. 

But as weather has been okay I haven’t been using the fire so been relying on the engine to heat water as my immersion was broken.

Anyway I’ve now fixed the immersion and can get hot water great. 

But if I fill my header tank up that’s in my bedroom, it then comes out of the overflow pipe on my engine. 

It’s never done this before. 

 

I have a beta marine B-38KC with a PRM120 gearbox.

 

Thank you

 

[hider]

Whats the tank for, central heating? You have a calorifier heated by the engine and an immersion heater?

 

Whats an overflow pipe on the engine for? is it on the radiator  cap?  Or are you talking about a PRV on the pipe near the engine?

 

Picture of overflow please.

Edited June 8, 2019 by hider

[Ar.1987]

The header tank is for central heating I would of thought. The guy I purchased the boat off said to keep that header tank roughly 1/2 - 3/4 full. Which had never been a issue.

But now if I put water in it, it comes straight out.

Today I put 2 litres in and shortly after it was back out. Hence why I’ve put a massive container in the engine bay just why I try to sort this out. As the engine bay wasn’t rusty before grr.

Yea the overflow pipe is on the radiator cap. 

So I’m to the point Of thinking I must have a valve that’s not working correctly? 

[Ar.1987]

The prv on the clarifier is operating correctly I do believe as doesn’t kick water pump on. But I turn the prv it will kick the water pump on 

[hider]

The calorifier should have 2 coils in, one for the central heating and heating the water connected to the header tank and another totally separate for the engine to heat the water.

 

But it sounds as though you only have one coil with everything connected, engine coolant, central heating, expansion tank and whatever heat source runs the heating. If so its a daft system and I have never seen one like it.

 

How many connections are on the calorifier? There should be at least six, 2 + 2 for 2 coils, cold in and hot out.

Edited June 8, 2019 by hider
added more

[system 4-50]

Did you fix the immersion yourself?  Or has somebody else been working on the system and possibly changed something?

[mickp]

If your engine heating coil in the califlower is pin holed then water pressure from domestic supply will over flow in engine coolent circuit

The picture shows pipe and  container connected to engine coolant tank ,why i think the above is happening

Edited June 8, 2019 by mickp
Missing point

[hider]

But his pump is not running so no. He would be flooded by now. Its water from the expansion tank.

 

Is the radiator cap duff? it shouldnt run out till its pressurised by getting hot.

[Rob-M]

Sounds to me like the immersion is heating the engine coolant circuit as well.

[hider]

And to me, but why? Is it even possible that there is only one coil?

 

Not had an answer yet to how many pipes connect to the calorifier

[mickp]

10 minutes ago, hider said:

But his pump is not running so no. He would be flooded by now. Its water from the expansion tank.

 

Is the radiator cap duff? it shouldnt run out till its pressurised by getting hot.

Once the engine circuit has pressurised by domestic pressure then it would be only leak slowly when it over comes pressure cap maybe

[Ar.1987]

1 hour ago, system 4-50 said:

Did you fix the immersion yourself?  Or has somebody else been working on the system and possibly changed something?

Had the issue before fixing the immersion 

37 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

Sounds to me like the immersion is heating the engine coolant circuit as well.

It was doing this before immersion was fixed 

1 hour ago, hider said:

The calorifier should have 2 coils in, one for the central heating and heating the water connected to the header tank and another totally separate for the engine to heat the water.

 

But it sounds as though you only have one coil with everything connected, engine coolant, central heating, expansion tank and whatever heat source runs the heating. If so its a daft system and I have never seen one like it.

 

How many connections are on the calorifier? There should be at least six, 2 + 2 for 2 coils, cold in and hot out.

It had 6 pipes ?

[hider]

Then unless the laws of physics have been changed, you are simply over filling the engine and when it warms the normal expansion is forced out of the rad cap.

[Ar.1987]

Just now, hider said:

Then unless the laws of physics have been changed, you are simply over filling the engine and when it warms the normal expansion is forced out of the rad cap.

But the header tank was filled 1/2 -3/4 for well over a year without issue as advised when purchased 

[system 4-50]

Have you got any valves anywhere in the system?  Anything for isolating sections of the system?

[hider]

2 minutes ago, Ar.1987 said:

But the header tank was filled 1/2 -3/4 for well over a year without issue as advised when purchased 

Not the heating header tank, the engine heat exchanger filler where the rad cap is should only be 1/2 full when cold

[Ar.1987]

4 minutes ago, hider said:

Not the heating header tank, the engine heat exchanger filler where the rad cap is should only be 1/2 full when cold

Thanks anyway 

[hider]

9 minutes ago, Ar.1987 said:

Thanks anyway 

Anyway for what? do you have the solution?