We had the water mains cut off in the area yesterday. The water came back on in the evening and everything works fine, apart from one sink and one toilet (coincidentally beside each other). I'm sure this is something laughably easy to fix like an air blockage, but being mechanically hugely inept my only available recourse is to pay €150 for a plumber to come out. Is there anything simple I can try before resorting to this?
Plumbing Problem.
- Thread starter Melendez
- Start date
The man of my house decided to fix a leak that was SUPPOSEDLY an 'Easy Job' with the result that we spent a saturday night up to our ankles in water furiously mopping and chucking buckets of water out the front door while waiting two hours for the plumber to turn up. Its funny now but not at the time! It is not worth the risk - don't do it!!!!!!!!
A
Ardross
Guest
If the water board/company cut off is responsible i.e no problems before they cut the water off . Ask them what they propose to do about it ?
Tout Seul
Senior Jockey
- Joined
- May 2, 2003
- Messages
- 2,628
Could be that the problem is air trapped in the pipes.
So first is it just cold water not working as is most likely. First try turning on all cold water taps in the house at the same time. This might work on its own.If it doesn't then try this one. If a mixer tap then open cw tap and then turn on hot water tap whilst holding something under the tap to stop the hot water coming out,9 you can use your finger but the water can get very hot. This forcces hot water up the cold pipe and creates a movement which releases the air. If not a mixer tap a shower hose, or a length of normal hosepipe between the taps works.
Otherwise take full heed of what Ardross said. If your water is cut off then it is the responsibility of the water provider to restore everything to normal. Sometimes the water company leaves a guy sitting in a van in the area to deal with this type of problem and they have have a box of various tubes and pumps which they can use. They cannot charge .
So first is it just cold water not working as is most likely. First try turning on all cold water taps in the house at the same time. This might work on its own.If it doesn't then try this one. If a mixer tap then open cw tap and then turn on hot water tap whilst holding something under the tap to stop the hot water coming out,9 you can use your finger but the water can get very hot. This forcces hot water up the cold pipe and creates a movement which releases the air. If not a mixer tap a shower hose, or a length of normal hosepipe between the taps works.
Otherwise take full heed of what Ardross said. If your water is cut off then it is the responsibility of the water provider to restore everything to normal. Sometimes the water company leaves a guy sitting in a van in the area to deal with this type of problem and they have have a box of various tubes and pumps which they can use. They cannot charge .
Merlin the Magician
At the Start
MEL I doubt you would get an AIR blockage on mains water in..... if on central heating yes I would agree...
Did your mrs or someone else turn a stop cock off that serves these two, have a look alongside or trace it back and see if you have an in line stop cock that may have been half opened and now owing to a silt build up after the mains cut off could be blocked thus stopping it coming through.........
Or get in touch with the people who cut the mains off and let them rectify it if you cant fix it in the above I posted.......dont get a plumber out the onus and bill will fall on you......... a phone call would suffice to the people who cut you off in the first place............ :suspect:
Tout Seul
Senior Jockey
- Joined
- May 2, 2003
- Messages
- 2,628
Merlin
Very easy to get air problems in main supply. Guess what get in if they open a pipe!
A few years ago the local roads were dug for several miles to replace some decrepid existing pipes for something or other . When they relaid the road the idiots didn't do it properly and the steamroller cracked or displaced many local water pipes. For several months we had many interruptions in the water supply often resulting in a problem along the lines decribed above. After having to wait a number of times without water in some parts of the house for the waterman to come I got the guy to show me most of the tricks he used to remove air from the system and made up a little kit myself. I have solved any problems since then myself.
A central heating system if it was working properly before is very unlikely to get an airlock when the mains supply is turned off as it doesn't regularly draw water from the mains supply and if efficent and whole will draw very little water from its feeder tank in a year of operation.
Very easy to get air problems in main supply. Guess what get in if they open a pipe!
A few years ago the local roads were dug for several miles to replace some decrepid existing pipes for something or other . When they relaid the road the idiots didn't do it properly and the steamroller cracked or displaced many local water pipes. For several months we had many interruptions in the water supply often resulting in a problem along the lines decribed above. After having to wait a number of times without water in some parts of the house for the waterman to come I got the guy to show me most of the tricks he used to remove air from the system and made up a little kit myself. I have solved any problems since then myself.
A central heating system if it was working properly before is very unlikely to get an airlock when the mains supply is turned off as it doesn't regularly draw water from the mains supply and if efficent and whole will draw very little water from its feeder tank in a year of operation.
Given that we don't pay for water, I doubt the council will entertain any claims, but worth a try.
We tried turning on all the cold taps to no avail. I was going to try the hose jobby as I saw it in the readers digest DIY manual and thought it looked a cool thing to say you did, however the taps are funny shapes and I couldn't get the hose to fit. Interestingly, if you turn on a nearby hot tap, hot water dribbles out of the cold tap that doesn't work.
The stop cock is working fine, and there seems to be very little dirt in the tanks.
I'll give the council a ring and try blocking the hot tap, but failing that Mr Plumber is in business.
Thanks for the replies.
We tried turning on all the cold taps to no avail. I was going to try the hose jobby as I saw it in the readers digest DIY manual and thought it looked a cool thing to say you did, however the taps are funny shapes and I couldn't get the hose to fit. Interestingly, if you turn on a nearby hot tap, hot water dribbles out of the cold tap that doesn't work.
The stop cock is working fine, and there seems to be very little dirt in the tanks.
I'll give the council a ring and try blocking the hot tap, but failing that Mr Plumber is in business.
Thanks for the replies.
A
Ardross
Guest
In the UK that sort of exclusion clause - if they have caused the problem would not go down well. Can they show that they took all reasonable care.
Euronymous
Senior Jockey
I have a problem also - my boiler isn`t working. The display panel tells me i have a low system pressure problem. I`ve turned all the radiators off. Dunno if this will do the trick. Anyone any ideas?
simmo
Senior Jockey
Raise the pressure.
On my old boiler, this consisted of using a screwdriver to open (very slightly) the water input valve (about an 1/8th of a turn did the trick).
On my old boiler, this consisted of using a screwdriver to open (very slightly) the water input valve (about an 1/8th of a turn did the trick).
Euronymous,
It could be that you have a leak. There should be a tap close to the water tank which fills water into the heating system. Turn this on until the pressure guage is back to normal. If it goes back down again you have a leak.
(Always keeping in mind that I am totally inept when it comes to things relating to DIY)
It could be that you have a leak. There should be a tap close to the water tank which fills water into the heating system. Turn this on until the pressure guage is back to normal. If it goes back down again you have a leak.
(Always keeping in mind that I am totally inept when it comes to things relating to DIY)
Euronymous
Senior Jockey
Ta. I haven`t a clue where my water tank is (loft?) but i must have an instuction book somewhere. I`ll have a look this evening after work.
I rang a Mr Kruger of Kruger Plumbing, who I found in the Local Independent Directory, after the finger up the hot tap failed to do any more than scald my finger. He arrived within 10 minutes with a big thumping vacuum cleaner, attached it to a non working tap and we were in business within a minute. He also fixed a couple of stiff taps (not as trivial as it sounds as we couldn't find how to cut off the hot water - he used a couple of wine stoppers instead) and got a couple of radiators working that had previously failed to get any hotter than mildly warm. He also gave advice concerning replumbing the house, which turned out to be don't do it until it is falling apart. Total cost for about an hours work €65. No Irishman would do it without really rubbing it in. Mr Kruger is German.
Highly recommended to anyone living in South Dublin. Just don't fall asleep.
Highly recommended to anyone living in South Dublin. Just don't fall asleep.
Bar the Bull
At the Start
Melendez,
I love the little insights into your life that you provide us with.
How did he do the radiators (my ould lad needs them done in Lucan).
I love the little insights into your life that you provide us with.
How did he do the radiators (my ould lad needs them done in Lucan).
He slightly closed the valves on radiators that were boiling hot, which apparently has the effect of distributing the heat to the radiators that weren't heating up so well. It wasn't perfect but a definite improvement, maybe with a little trial and error things can be improved further.
BrianH
At the Start
Looxoory
Merlin the Magician
At the Start
Total cost for about an hours work €65. No Irishman would do it without really rubbing it in. Mr Kruger is German.
So in essence it really cost a KRUGER-RAND..........
In Wales they have created resevoirs to feed LIVERPOOL&BRUM they pay less for water than we do in WALES...................strange or what??????? :suspect: