Do we have an airlock & what do we do?!

[poonum]

Hi, a few weeks ago we had a couple of radiators taken off and put back on for some plastering to be done. When the plumber put them back on he said he'd also turned our pump up to make the radiators more efficient. Since then the hot water taps in the house have gradually been losing pressure to the point where now all we get out of them is a tiny trickle which then stops completely!

Is this called an airlock? And what should be do about it?! Call the plumber back to fix the problem? We couldn't fix it ourselves as we are complete novices : (

 

[seco services]

what type of system do you have ?
working on the radiator side shouldn't alter the hot water from taps.

 

[poonum]

we have an immersion heater in the airing cupboard and tank in the loft. we're not using the heating at the moment so using the electric immersion for hot water. i've tried putting the central heating on to see if it makes the flow any better and it doesn't.

 

[seco services]

useally it can get airlocked on the pipe coming out the top of the immersion cylinder.
have you got a mxer tap that runs on cold mains and gravity hot ?
then you can use mains cold to push the airlock out.

 

[poonum]

yes all our taps are mixer tapes. is that when you use a hosepipe to flush out the airlock?? is it easy enough to do ourselves?

 

[seco services]

yes if you can block the spout with a cloth or your palm on the bath mixer tap providing its mains cold and hot gravity.
block the spout turn on the hot then turn on the cold.
cold will push the hot backwards pushing out airlock.
try that for a few mins then release the spout and turn off cold hot should keep running and flow increase.

 

[poonum]

i tried blocking the tap but the water just came through the sponge! lol!

 

[seco services]

if you can't do it that way you can use a hose up the spout and open the hot tap then turn on the cold

 

[Redhotferrari]

Put the sponge in a plastic bag with no holes in it!

Have you got a hot and cold fed washing machine? Turn off both washing machine taps, remove the hot pipe from the tap, remove the cold pipe from the back of washing machine and connect to the hot washing machine tap. Open hot then open cold and leave for a few seconds, turn both off and check sink taps, keep doing this until the flow starts.

 

[seco services]

only any good using washing machine taps if they are not fitted with check valves.

 

[Redhotferrari]

True, but how many are? Most pipework to WMs have been there for years, and not had check valves fitted. Obviously only my opinion

 

[seco services]

9/10 i see or change are fitted even old valves had them.

 

[poonum]

thank you so much for the sponge in plastic bag idea - i tried it this morning and it has sorted all the taps out! so simple and i can't believe i was going to call a plumber out and probably get stung for it! thank you : )

 

[Vee239]

[quote="poonum" i can't believe i was going to call a plumber out and probably get stung for it![/quote]

Charming !
You realise the advice came from a plumber ?

 

[poonum]

sorry i didn't mean it like that, really appreciate the advice, but other people on here said they've paid 60 quid plus vat for a plumber to sort the problem when all i needed was a sponge and a plastic bag! just really pleased : )