There's no stopping this water!

[CharlieNib89]

Hi guys. A bit of a strange one for you.

I'm working on an ex-mod base that is now being used by a Christian organization in East Lincs. The MOD had an interesting way of plumbing things in their buildings and y'day I discovered something that defied explanation.

We have a row of sinks in a dorm bathroom, there is a massive mixer valve that goes out to feed each hot tap down the row. Turned off the two isolating valves under the mixer, expected the hot taps to shut off ... nope still hard pressure. So went back the line and turned off the hot and cold ball valves off, still pressure. Turned off hot and cold feed from boiler room, still pressure. Turned off mains feed to the building by the 42" ball valve, still pressure. That is every valve on the line turned off and there is still pressure, the water will run and run. How! Turning off the isolating valves under the mixer should have been enough.

Now, bearing in mind the bizarre things that have been come across in this ex-mod facility, what could be the issue?

Thanks in advance.

 

[TomLane]

As a practical joke all service valves tampered with & made unusable?!?

 

[CharlieNib89]

As a practical joke all service valves tampered with & made unusable?!?

LOL. After some of the other nonsense that has been found in here...probably.
Btw this problem resulted in one of our guys getting drenched by scalding hot water. He turned a tap down the row on and it dribbled. Thinking he was safe he cut into the line and WOOSH full pressure hot water.

 

[lame plumber]

coz you havent turned of the right valve🙂

 

[Keefy]

I hope you get back to us with your findings because this is just bizarre to the point that I don't believe the story.

 

[CharlieNib89]

I hope you get back to us with your findings because this is just bizarre to the point that I don't believe the story.

Mate I'd love nothing more than to tell you it's a wind up. Sadly...it's true lol. I am seriously questioning my sanity. I mean, if you turn off the valves on the feeds to a mixer it shuts off the supply to the valve and thus shuts off the supply to the taps after the mixer...doesn't it!?!?!

 

[Keefy]

Mate I'd love nothing more than to tell you it's a wind up. Sadly...it's true lol. I am seriously questioning my sanity. I mean, if you turn off the valves on the feeds to a mixer it shuts off the supply to the valve and thus shuts off the supply to the taps after the mixer...doesn't it!?!?!

Are you sure everything wasn't already turned off before you got there? I mean, maybe you got brain block and thought by turning the valves anti-clockwise you were shutting them off?

 

[vern]

What about secondary return? Surly will be one on that set up, if so it will back feed! Seen a bank cellar flooded due to this once.....

 

[happyflyer]

I would let the taps run and go and find out where the water is running in, IF THEY ARE REALLY TANK FED, and put a pressure test on the taps and work out how high the feeder tanks are, it's certainly a funny one, not so for the chap who got burned. BTW Mod are red hot on drawings, where are they, when the chap got covered in hot water how did you shut it off then ??? A lot of MOD air bases had large storage tanks on legs they had legionella problems and I think they went mains, are there some booster set pumps running somewhere when the taps are running, just some thought ideas.

 

[Gray0689]

All big set ups will have a secondary return
Are you sure you should be working on this
Maybe better to get someone with more experience of this sort of work to give you a hand

 

[Reg Man]

May be a Christian miracle?