Can’t get cold water to turn back on (kitchen tap only)

[David Wainwright]

Hi,

I wanted to fit a kitchen tap so I turned the water off by turning the stopcock fully clockwise. The cold water turned off but the hot water was still running. I found another stopcock and turned that fully clockwise. So far so good, cold and hot water are now both off. It turns out that I'm not going to be able to fit the new tap (the existing pipe seems to be directly soldered into the tap) so I want to put everything back as it was. I turn the hot water stopcock fully anti-clockwise (and then half a turn clockwise) and the hot water comes on. So far so good. I turn the cold water stopcock fully anti-clockwise (and then half a turn clockwise) but the cold water does NOT come on - at least in the kitchen. I check the bathroom - both hot and cold are running fine in the bathroom, but cold water is not running in the kitchen.

I have tried various combinations of turning both stopcocks but cannot get cold water to come out of the kitchen tap. I have not touched any other valves in the house.

Any ideas on how to get cold water back in the kitchen?

Thanks.

 

[Ian H]

Can you unscrew a filter off the outlet of the tap? You could have shifted a bit of muck from the stoptap.

 

[motorbiking]

sounds like the other hot and cold are gravity fed from a cold water tank - do you have a tank in your loft?

 

[David Wainwright]

@ Ian - the existing tap is a mixer, so hot and cold both come out the same outlet. I can't see how there could be a blockage in the tap because the hot water flows fine through the tap.

@ motorbiking - I don't have a tank in the loft. I have a combi boiler.

 

[KenGMac]

David Wainwright, good evening.

Possibly a bit of something blocking the cold feed supply to the Kitchen cold feed?

How about you consider??? holding a cloth over the kitchen tap outlet and turning on the cold feed, then turning on the hot feed? this may??? back flush the obstruction in the cold feed?

Ken.

 

[David Wainwright]

Hi Ken - I just tried that. I got water everywhere! I really tried to cover the outlet firmly with both hot and cold feeds on - but still nothing coming from the cold feed. Not even a drip.

 

[Madrab]

That tap needs to come off then and get an isolation valve onto the pipe. Highly unlikely that the pipe will be soldered into the tap feed. You need to post a pic or two of that.

 

[jeff the gasman]

David Wainwright, good evening.

Possibly a bit of something blocking the cold feed supply to the Kitchen cold feed?

How about you consider??? holding a cloth over the kitchen tap outlet and turning on the cold feed, then turning on the hot feed? this may??? back flush the obstruction in the cold feed?

Ken.

How will a combi airlock?
Failed valve more likely.

 

[undertrained]

Hello David,

It could be your tap. Is it a traditional screw down type or quarter turn? If it’s a traditional one then the washer could be jammed, the spindle may be stuck, the jumper may have separated.

If it’s a quarter turn, some have a comb filter that could be blocked.

Thanks.