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My plumber is unable to get rid of air lock, please help

  • 29-10-2015 03:24AM
    #1
    nevillekk
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3 ✭


    Hi guys,

    I'm new here and created this account because of the airlock dilemma I'm suffering from. We have two huge personal water tanks side by side in our kitchen and a water pump just outside that we have to start every morning for an hour (between 4 and 7 am) to have the two tanks filled up (that's how the system is here in India).

    The first tank supplies water to the bathroom taps and they work flawlessly. However, the second tank that is connected to the wash basin and sink in kitchen and everytime, the tanks get completely empty after a long day, there is an airlock in those taps the next morning. We try to not let the tanks get completely empty but sometimes, we can't help it.

    The hose pipe solution is kind of a headache everytime it happens because the bad kitchen taps are located far away from the good bathroom taps so connecting the good and bad taps is impossible, and the only option is to connect the bad tap to the direct water flow tap that supplies water only between 4-7am when the pump is on and goes shut after that. If it's not done that time, then we have to blow air for ages into the pipe ourselves and get the thing working, but even then, it doesn't work sometimes.

    We called the plumber and he said that the first tank (good one) has some air bubble pipe (a small vertical plastic tube type thingy that is open at the top) connected to it and the second tank (bad one) didn't. So he connected such a tube to the second tank too. However, that never solved the problem and my money went waste.

    He also said, let the tanks drain out completely. Then keep the kitchen sink tap open in the morning before starting the pump and after starting the pump, wait for the tank to fill and water should start flowing in the taps. But that isn't working either. Yeah, there is very little water coming out of that tap.

    Now, the plumber says I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S THE PROBLEM AND CANNOT HELP FURTHER.

    What do I do? Please help me guys. I'd be highly highly grateful.

    Thanks in advance,
    Neville.


Comments

  • #2
    K.Flyer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,560 ✭✭✭K.Flyer


    The first thing to do is check the entire routing of the pipework from the tank to the taps.
    Make sure that the pipes are always sloping downwards towards the taps without any points where it rises up again..
    If there are any high points in the pipework this is where the air can get caught and needs to be rectified.


  • #3
    nevillekk
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3 ✭nevillekk


    K.Flyer wrote: »
    The first thing to do is check the entire routing of the pipework from the tank to the taps.
    Make sure that the pipes are always sloping downwards towards the taps without any points where it rises up again..
    If there are any high points in the pipework this is where the air can get caught and needs to be rectified.

    I will definitely check on this with the plumber by today or tomorrow and get back, thank you so much. Just a quick question - is a small 10 inch plastic (hose?) flexible pipe connecting the end of the metal pipe (coming from below the sink) going 10 inch upwards to the wash basin tap considered a high point too? And can that have the potential to screw up the entire line although it's only at the end and near just one tap?


  • #4
    K.Flyer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,560 ✭✭✭K.Flyer


    If you mean where the pipe comes out of the wall and directly up to the tap, then no.
    What I am referring to is the main distribution pipe directly from the tank, which preferably should always have a slight downward slope, or be level at worse, but never rising.
    Take a look at the tank and pipework that gives you no trouble and compare the two of them.


  • #5
    nevillekk
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3 ✭nevillekk


    K.Flyer wrote: »
    If you mean where the pipe comes out of the wall and directly up to the tap, then no.
    What I am referring to is the main distribution pipe directly from the tank, which preferably should always have a slight downward slope, or be level at worse, but never rising.
    Take a look at the tank and pipework that gives you no trouble and compare the two of them.

    Oh okay, yes it's a smallish pipe similar to the pipe that's coming out of my hot water geyser in the bathroom. So I'll ignore that.

    Yes, I saw the working tank/pipeline and it's always going downwards/horizontal but never up. For the bad tank/pipeline, once the pipe comes out of the tank, it goes downwards and then outside my window (maybe towards the water pump that's put outside the window) where I can't see it's path properly and then back inside to the sink/washbasin so I'm waiting for my plumber to come tomorrow and show me the structure correctly. I'll get back to you soon. Thanks again, really appreciate the help.


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