Hot water storage tank leak in attic - strange situation

[wirral77]

Had a mega leak yesterday from the attic, it turned out to be the hot water storage tank. The problem has freaked me and the wife out because the person who got up to sort it (Amatuer plumber) said that the part with the ballcock and the part were the water comes out were facing the wrong way, instead of the part were teh water flows from of pointing down it was angled at 90 degree angle and was spurting up out of the tank and flooding the attic.

The amateur plumber type person said it could only have been done by a person, Is there any other explanations for how this may have occured? I was assuming it was always facing that way but maybe it used to just trickle out rather than spurt and therefore stayed in the tank, or perhaps it faced that way but had a taplike adapter on it to make it face downwards that was some broken off. It appears that he was suggesting someone had been in our attic and did this for some reason.

Any one else shed any light on this, the wife is freaking out. Im for just locking the attic door.

[Mike Jackson]

Sounds to me like the spray tube attached to the top of the float operated valve came detached. This can happen without human intervention although if your storage tank was fitted with a lid and lagging jacket to comply with the water regulations I doubt it would have caused a major leak.

Next time you get a problem with your plumbing get a professional in. It may cost more than an amateur but you've got peace of mind knowing that he knows what he's talking about.

If you don't know any local plumbers have a look at The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering

Mike