Blockage in cold water pipes fed from cold water tank

[t1ger]

We have a blockage in our cold water pipes - the tank jacket had fallen into the tank and possibly when it was taken out something was left in the tank and now the cold water pressure upstairs is lower and the toilet downstairs is not filling up at all.
How can we unblock the pipes and remove whatever is stuck in there?
Thanks for your help.

 

[muggles]

How did you find out that the jacket had fallen in, did the water flow reduce / stop before you removed it?

 

[t1ger]

No, it happened afterwards.

 

[mysteryman]

Try - very carefully - putting mains cold water pressure on this until you see the blockage pushed back into the tank.

 

[t1ger]

I have now tried using mains water on the bathroom tap and that seems to have sorted the bathroom tap as that is running okay now, although nothing came back into the tank. However the toilets are still not filling up and I have no idea how to do the same with the toilets or should we try running the mains water through the bathroom tap again?

 

[mysteryman]

You will probably need to back-flush from the blocked outlets, or remove the balltaps, turn the water on gently, and flush through that way into the loo cisterns. Strip and clean the balltaps before replacing them.

 

[t1ger]

Thanks for your help, I could do with a bit more advice on what exactly I would need to do to remove the ball tap. Is it just a case of unscrewing it by hand in the cistern?