Only water in Apartment is coming from cold tap on kitchen sink. Advice needed.

Woody_FX · 03-01-2011 06:15PM #1

For about a week now I've only had water coming out of the Kitchen sink cold tap. Except with DCC turn off the water and there is none anywhere in the appartment.

I am in badly in need of a shower so need to try and fix this. Is there a knob somewhere the landlord might have turned while i was away on Xmas day and not told me about?

This make sense to anybody?

Thanks,
Woody

Crasp · 03-01-2011 06:19PM

The kitchen cold tap always has it's own supply, in every house/apt. It's the clean water for drinking. the rest of the water goes to the tank in the attic and is used for the hot water supply and bathroom taps etc.

So the fact that the kitchen tap is working doesn't tell you much. The tank might be empty or air locked or something.

I realise that this doesn't help, just good to know

Idioteque · 03-01-2011 08:57PM

Hi Woody,
I've the same problem in my apartment block. Problem seems to be that the water pressure is not strong enough to bring the water up to the top of the building and fill the tank in the attic - which in turn would then fill our own tanks.
It's mad as everyone in the block is filling up large tankers with drinking water for things like flushing the toilet etc as we've no other choice!
It's really annoying!

Jumpy · 03-01-2011 08:59PM

Its an airlock.

Plumbers will have a vacuum that drags the water up to the tank pipe. This usually clears airlocks.

I doubt it is a pressure issue.

Zab · 03-01-2011 10:18PM

Jumpy wrote: »

I doubt it is a pressure issue.

You know there's reduced water pressure in a lot of places in Dublin at the moment, right?

Buford T Justice · 04-01-2011 02:03AM

Jumpy wrote: »

Its an airlock.

Plumbers will have a vacuum that drags the water up to the tank pipe. This usually clears airlocks.

I doubt it is a pressure issue.

No we don't. We just have clever tricks to eradicate the airlocks

Jumpy · 04-01-2011 02:23AM

Fingers McGee wrote: »

No we don't. We just have clever tricks to eradicate the airlocks

The one that cleared mine did.

Jumpy · 04-01-2011 02:24AM

Zab wrote: »

You know there's reduced water pressure in a lot of places in Dublin at the moment, right?

Hence why I think its an airlock.

Woody_FX · 04-01-2011 02:29AM

I climbed upto the tank and stuck my hand in and found its full of water.

There are a 2 copper pipes coming out of the bottom of the plastic tank. Both of them have nozels on them.

White plastic pipe at the top. Guess thats some overflow pipe. Some pipe involving the water heating unit.

Anybody able to gimme some tips on what to do to try bleed the air our or force water through?

Many Thanks
W

Jumpy · 04-01-2011 02:31AM

Is it completely full?

If you push down the ballcock does the water flow?

Its the ball on the stick (sorry if you already know this). Its meant to stop the tank overflowing.

When you turn on the bathroom taps is there any noise?

antocann · 04-01-2011 02:33AM

blow in the taps that will do the trick

Woody_FX · 04-01-2011 03:53AM

Hiya Jumpy,
yes its full to the top!

lol should i really put my mouth around the tap and blow? hahahahahh you winding me up?

Jumpy · 04-01-2011 05:49AM

Do you have any hot water?

Jumpy · 04-01-2011 05:51AM

Oh wait hold on.

Find the power switch for your pump. If you have that kind of system it should be on a wall socket near the tank or there might be a switch on the pump itself. Switch it of and on again.

I cant believe I didnt think of that.

Jumpy · 04-01-2011 05:54AM

Of course you might just have a gravity feed. In which case ignore what I said. But in the place I am in now the pump switches off if it runs dry, I have to reset it.

Jumpy · 04-01-2011 05:58AM

Mine sort of looks like this

Woody_FX · 04-01-2011 12:24PM

no its gravity jumpy!

Jumpy · 04-01-2011 01:00PM

Are you sure? Its an apartment.

When you turn on the taps normally was there a pause before you get the full pressure?

I dont understand why you dont have hot water in this case.

antocann · 04-01-2011 01:29PM

Woody_FX wrote: »

Hiya Jumpy,
yes its full to the top!

lol should i really put my mouth around the tap and blow? hahahahahh you winding me up?

yeh , im not messing , its either blow or suck , it starts the flow of the water , like a pump ,

Jacket111001 · 04-01-2011 01:49PM

If you have mixer taps.

Open the Hot tap - Block the water from coming out and then open the cold tap.

The cold water should travel up the system and clear the air lock.

Jumpy · 04-01-2011 01:56PM

Jacket111001 wrote: »

If you have mixer taps.

Open the Hot tap - Block the water from coming out and then open the cold tap.

The cold water should travel up the system and clear the air lock.

He has no water, you can clear the hot with the cold or vice versa but you need something.

Woody_FX · 04-01-2011 02:00PM

ok here is an update.

I have 1 mixer tap in the kitchen.

I opened the hot tap and was no water as i reported. I then blocked the tap with my hand and turned on cold tap forcing the water back through the hot tap pipes.

Was quiet a bit of presure on my hand. Now water is coming out of the hot tap. about 2/3 of the speed it used to.

Still nothing out of the cold tap in the bathroom. So i put my mouth to it and blew like a mofo for about 30seconds. Water is trickling out of it now. Very weak presure about 1/3 or less of the old presure.

Water trickes into the toilet cistrine now too.

Is there some way i can get the cold tap back to its normal flow? Will the air work itself out of the pipe with time as water flows throught them?

Thanks for getting me this far! Might be able to have a shower today

Buford T Justice · 04-01-2011 02:52PM

No, the air doesn't magically vanish, it'll need to be removed.

I'm confused as to weather you have a pump or not in the flat.

Is it a twin impeller pump like this one? If so, then the pump will most likely be a pressure operated switch and will need to be bled.

2.0%20Bar%20Twin%20Impeller%20Shower%20Pump.jpg?size=blowup&q=202

Jumpy · 04-01-2011 02:55PM

Woody_FX wrote: »

Still nothing out of the cold tap in the bathroom. So i put my mouth to it and blew like a mofo for about 30seconds. Water is trickling out of it now. Very weak presure about 1/3 or less of the old presure.

Try this again, however video tape yourself doing it and post it up here

slavetothegrind · 04-01-2011 02:59PM

op get yourself a marigold glove, fill it with a good sup of water.

attach the open end to the tap in question hold tightly and squeeze the marigold driving the water up the pipe.

if you're lucky that might shift the airlock!

87pio · 04-01-2011 03:00PM

Take the fuse out for 10mins, open up the taps in the bathroom, put the fuse back in and the pumps should push the air out through the taps. Did you try that?I'm living in the apartment, and had the same problem.

Edit: To find the switch just follow the cable coming out of the pump.

Only water in Apartment is coming from cold tap on kitchen sink. Advice needed.

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