Water Tanks in the Attic not filling

Alright

Hello Boardies,

I've been having water trouble, like the rest of the country, since before
Christmas. I live in Dublin 5 which, is now back to normal pressure so I will
outline my problem below and what I have tried.

The Current situation is:
1. We have mains water coming to the kitchen sink
2. There is a dribble of water reaching the attic tank inlet but
it sounds like there is also (mainly) air coming out of the inlet.
3. I have connected a hose to the kitchen tap, ran it through the house
and there is enough pressure for the water to reach the tank but
the flow is not as much as I expected. Better but a little low.
4. Had the Co. Council water inspector out yesterday and he said
our pressure going into the house was good and that the area water
pressure is good.
5. House was re-plumbed 2 years ago, so no lead pipes.
6. All pipes are insulated and there has been a thaw so it is unlikely to
be frozen pipes.
7. There are 2 attic water boxes and both are insulated.
8. Not sure if it's relevant but Gas Central Heating.
9. Pressure on hot water tank in the hot press is ~1.7-2Bar
10. All valves in the hot press are open.


I have been using the power hose to fill the attic tanks one a day or once
every 2 days as we need.

The dishwasher and washing machine will run without any errors when
they are used.

I have read in other threads about air locks so I did what they suggested.
I blocked the mixer tap in the kitchen and turned the tap on, slowly, to 50:50
Cold and Hot. I went back up to the attic and checked the tanks. The attic
tanks began to fill but not from the main inlet. The tanks began to fill from
the hot water tank up, or so it seemed to me. The water inlet remained at a
dribble, still with air coming out too, and the tanks filled with warm water.

With the attic tanks full all the taps work (I guess that's an obvious
statement) and the toilet cistern fills.

The heating works ok and all radiators heat up. I bled them a few days
ago and there was very little air in the system. The only radiator that
had an amount of air in it was the vertical rad in the bathroom but I've
seen that before.

There are no signs of any leaks in the house.

I have a plumber coming but it probably won't be for a few days
because of work.

Is there anything simple that I am over looking or something else that
I can try please let me know.

Thanks!

Pete67

Check the float at the ballcock in the attic tank is moving up and down smoothly. It might just be stuck up preventing the valve from opening fully. Assuming that its not something so simple, then turn off the water at the mains, remove the ballcock assembly from the water tank, strip it down and check for dirt/blockages/damage. Replace the ballcock if necessary.

If this does not sort the issue then it would seem that you have a blockage in the rising main. If you disconnect it at the tank and turn the mains back on do you get a good flow? You can put a temporary valve with a short length of hose on the end of the rising main and close it so you can go back down and turn and turn the mains on. Then check for flow by opening the valve and directing the flow into the storage tank.

But most likely stuck or faulty ballcock.

Alright

Thanks Pete67 I'll try that when I get home tonight

Alright

Pete67 thanks again.

You were right. The ball cock was blocked with sediment.

It's now back to normal

Pete67

Glad it worked out.