feathers/insulation in cold water tank/down pipe

[liverpoolboy]

if feathers (or any other things, eg/ loose insulation) get into your cold water tank (from lid not properley on, etc) and down into the cold feed pipe/cold water distribution pipe to bahtoom) - this will obviously cause intermittent flow at the tap(s) - similar to what an airlock would be like.

is the only way to resolve this problem - replacing the pipe?

a neighbour of mine had this problem approx. 2 months ago and was asking me for any advice (as i have done a few plumbing jobs: only basic ones) for neighbours/friends over the past year or so.

she was being charged by a plumber approx. 90 pounds an hour for this problem and he told her that if the insulation (and feathers)! apparantly had got into her CH pipework (via the f & e cistern) it would have been a massive job.

is this true - what could be done to cure this ? in the end he replaced the pipework, but took 4 hours in total after diagnosing the fault and doing the work.

is this the correct procedure or has she been done!

 

[corgiman]

if you cannot force the feathers down or up (the best thing I ever removed from a gravity feed pipe was a dead mouse with my wet and dry vac) then yes you would have to replace the pipework.


Did the 90 per hour man try to clear the pipe?

 

[lagunaglen]

Hope he fitted a bylaw 30 kit in the process.

 

[liverpoolboy]

I think he mucked about for a bit then just decided to change the pipework! I suppose it's too difficult to muck about pushing feathers out of a pipe!

I guess it's lucky no feathers got into the hot water cylinder isn't it! That would have been even more expensive!