Help, no hot water!

dibs101

Urgent help needed,

Turned off mains to remove garden tap. left off all night, while we had showers, washing machine etc. Now we only have cold water, when we turn on hot tap cold water dribbles out then completely stops. In URGENT need of help, pregnant wife going nuts....... and making my life a misery

the GALL

sounds like the tank is empty
have you turned the mains back on

Avns1s

Sounds like an airlock.... assuming you have turned the mains back on!

dibs101

Yes mains back on, and tank in attic full only a dribble coming from hot taps. All cold taps as per normal. How do i clear an air block?

Corkey123

Its likely there is an air block in the pipe from the starage tank to your hot tank. Above your hot tank is there a value for bleeding air?

Barlow07

dibs101 wrote: »

Yes mains back on, and tank in attic full only a dribble coming from hot taps. All cold taps as per normal. How do i clear an air block?

You didnt turn any valve off on the pipe near the mains while you disconnected the tap?

dibs101

i just turned off the mains under sink for a few hours, then turned back on. What will this valve above tank look like, there are two red isolation valves above tank where will the bleeding valve be in relation to these?

Barlow07

Sounds like they may be valves for the hot water, but if you never touched them then i would assume it would be a air lock somewhere.

dibs101

how do i get rid of an air block though, what am i looking for when you mentioned bleeding valve?

Corkey123

dibs101

Its very much depending on the set up of your system. Its likely that you emptied the storage tank allowed air into the feed to the hot cylinder. This is stopping the pressure from the storage tank push the hot water out of the cyilinder and to the taps.

Assuming your storage tank is in the attic and it feeds your cylinder below - you might find where the pipes work go down to the hot tank there might be a value that will allow air trapped to release and thereby allowing the pressure of the storage tank to the cylinder.

Alternatively, I've observered here on boards, where people have taken a hose from the cold tap and place it up the hot tap leading back to the tank. This has the effect of blowing the block age back up the pipes into the strage tank and removing it.

dibs101

gonna look for that valve in attic now. Can hear wife filling bath with kettle upstairs and cursing me.....

dibs101

no valve in attic. but what looks like valve at bottom of cylinder which has a tap like fitting which looks like it might be used to bleed air if opened, could this be the valve?

f1_jb

You have an air lock in the supply to your cylinder because the tank ran dry.

Do you have a bath shower mixer tap on the bath? if so remover the shower head and cover the end of the hose, open the hot tap on the mixer then the cold tap making sure all other hot taps are off first. Keep the taps open for a minute or so then shut both and open the hot and see does it clear the air lock. You can try the same with a shower too and it might work.

davidoco

As other posters suggested you need to clear the air lock and the best way is to use water. Opening various valves is just a recipe for another problem when they are not put back the way they were found.

You DO NEED mains pressure water to force the air lock out as the cold water tap at sinks and bath may not be enough to clear the blockage.

Fit a hose on your new outside tap and to a hot tap in a bathroom or if you have seperate taps in the kitchen, from the cold there to the hot.

Force the water back up the hot for about 30 seconds a time and it should work itself out after 4 or 5 goes, but don’t worry and just keep at it.

That valve you mention at the bottom of the cylinder will likely only let out whatever water is in the cylinder, you will just get caught in a catch 22 by opening that as water will pour into the cylinder from the storage tank and the air will just move above it.

dibs101

great advice lads thanks, so if i connect a hose to mains pressure downstairs and then to a hot tap upstairs to force the air lock out where will it go... i assume back to the tank in the attic?

Corkey123

yeah, you should be able to do it at the kitchen sink where the cold water is from the mains and the hot is from the cylinder. Might be little mesy but Good luck

dibs101

Great advice lads, thanks again. will keep ye posted....

JamesM

Depending on the type of mixer in the kitchen, you can sometimes just put your hand over the spout and turn on the hot and cold taps. This will force the cold up the hot pipe.
Jim.

dibs101

Put finger over mixer taps in bath. Left there for about 1 min, herrd a farting noise coming from tank, then hey presto hot water again in all taps on all fronts. Fantastic stuff lads. Proof that this website is not only informative but can save you a fortune too. My wife was never so happy to hear a farting noise! Thanks again lads.

311

JamesM wrote: »

Depending on the type of mixer in the kitchen, you can sometimes just put your hand over the spout and turn on the hot and cold taps. This will force the cold up the hot pipe.
Jim.

The above is the standard way of fixing it.

A wet vacuum cleaner ,like a Vax ,can also suck the airlock from the pipe.

Corkey123

Fair enough -all around to dibs101's place for drinks