Water Issue

January 1, 2005 9:16 AM

WaterFilter : I switched off the water at my mother-in-law's house to switch a tap, and now the hot water has stopped. [The more inside is depressingly dry...]
posted by talitha_kumi to Home & Garden (6 answers total)

Oops... that was the other half's account...

So... The exit valve from the immersion tank wouldn't close, so we left it to drain and then did the job. No problems so far.

Job finished, we set all the water goining again - but none of the hot water pipes are putting out more than a trickle.

the top storage tank in the loft is now full again, and the immersion tank is making an "I'm filling, honest" noise, but if the flow out is this slow, then surely something must be wrong. Yet I can't for the life of me work out what.

And yes, New Year's Day was a stupid time to try this one...
posted by twine42 at 9:18 AM on January 1, 2005

Sounds like you've got a siphon problem. I know that doesn't help much, but...
posted by notsnot at 11:17 AM on January 1, 2005

2 ideas:

1: sometimes you need to kind of pump the pipes by turning faucets on and off again a bunch of times, air gets trapped in there and the water can't get flowing again.

2: the valve for the hot water pipe itself got icky inside and actually USING it freed up some rust or something that is now blocking the pipe and it wont turn back "on".

waterfilter. heh.
posted by glenwood at 11:44 AM on January 1, 2005

Try this: curing air lock
posted by ?! at 12:57 PM on January 1, 2005

So what causes air lock then?
posted by Chuckles at 5:05 PM on January 1, 2005

The problem was indeed an airlock. Sloved by getting two tap-hose connectors and a foot of hose, then sticking mains pressure cold back up the hot pipe.

Thanking you ta!
posted by twine42 at 11:33 AM on January 2, 2005