help do i need a plumer now?

[very-chilly-wash]

Ok well not a Plummer but a girl who doesn't want duped when she calls out plumber!

Problem

The hot water taps upstairs sputter out then stops to a trickle. I turned on the wash basin (higher than bath) then when bath tap on (trickling) the washbasin tap stops. The water trickling out is hot

Heating working fine. I have a cold water feed into the boiler. The cold water tank looks fine and full went up and checked working fine.

2 days ago I had a nice full pressure warm bath so something is away very fast overnight. Downstairs taps fine although pressure could be slightly reduced, not sure.

I am guessing air lock or something blocking...but why the change so fast over night?

Could it be some sort of valve thing I know it works on heights and pressure and gravity system?

Sorry, I don't know the make of the boiler. Was wondering if the tank is in my chimney and how do I look at it?

I just want some ideas a normal Plummer would look at so I am an informed customer.

Thank you all
xx

 

[JohnD]

Was Durham cold enough last night for a supply pipe to have frozen in the loft?

(sorry, may be a daft idea)

 

[very-chilly-wash]

it was very cold the cars were frosted but been taps still trickling now can I have a burst pipe? yikes?

 

[JohnD]

If you'd had a burst I think you'd know it! I was thinking more of water frozen in the feed pipe preventing the water from flowing. It won't hurt to make sure your pipes are well insulated (should have a fairly stiff foam round them, about as fat as your arm in an unheated loft, and the difficult-to-insulate bits are the ones that need it most.

I'm not a plumber, and when I've experienced dribbling taps it's always been an air lock, but assuming you've lived in the house for a while, you'll know if they happen (very unusual unless you've had the water off) so I might do better to keep my mouth shut now. If you've got a Combi system I know nothing about them, as someone spotted last time I made a stupid suggestion

 

[very-chilly-wash]

well this is my first house had it for just over a year, but its cavity wall insulated and up the loft there is an unbelievable amount of insulation aleast 2 foot (I could not believe it) which I guess cover all the pipes and unfortunatly all the electrics!!!..but I don't know about the pipes I guess they are insulated.

It's been off now all thursday and today...would it not thaw out over the day? and this never hapened last winter so that why it's strange

Also I have one radiator that comes on upstairs when the hot water is on and with my system the hotwater is always on with the heating but not the other way do I need to fix this or can I just leave it? how much would it cost?

 

[very-chilly-wash]

hello back again now it's saturday

The problem is I have checked all the pipes and they are not frozen I ran the trickling tap for 4 hours and what is comming out is very very hot water dribling .......I don't understand how this can be a frozen pipe and if it was would the water not be cold and the hot water would have melted it in 4 hours i may be just a silly girl??


from thursday morning by upstairs bathroom taps suddenly lost pressure. I know this indicated a block but I can hear no sounds and and have neer stoped the system to let air in. I have a gravity flow system


I want to know from respected plummers and enthusiasts if it's time to call out a plummer? I am new to the area so I am worried of being spun a story so would like to be informed of costs what they may say and what they definetly should not say!!!! I have never hired a plummer and I am scared of the prospect!

thanks
xx

 

[John.B]

Sounds like an air lock however sometimes the foam insulation on the outside can be dropped inside before the cylinder is fitted and can eventually block pipes, however that is very rare. The way to unblock your air lock is to connect the two isolation taps supplying your washing machine together. Turn off both supply taps, connect the blue hose to the red tap. Then turn on the red tap, then turn on blue tap, this will force air out of the hot pipes and clear air lock. Only do this for 30 seconds or so as you are back filling the hot water tank and can cause an over-flow.
Only live 30 mile away but booked up till Dec 14. Believe it or not we are not all cowboys, many of my customers are now very good friends.
Best way to find a good Plumber, electrician etc is to ask friends or work collegues in advance before you need one. Then keep their number ready for when you need them, otherwise it is a lottery as to who you get.
Also talk to tradesmen you already know from other trades as we come in to contact with each other all the time and can recognise quality work as well. Hope this helps.

 

[very-chilly-wash]

Thank you John B are you never off this site? I am never away from work!

I will see what I can do thank you again for your help.

 

[John.B]

Just looked at your post again. Is it below freezing in Durham, and has your loss of water coincided with the weather turning cold? How do you know your pipes in the loft are not frozen? Are they lagged or in a cold draught? You need to check these before you try the hose connection method.

 

[very-chilly-wash]

hello john it is cold below freezing but like I say above how can the (very) hot water get through the pipes and I left it going for 4 hours would it not defrost it I have not idea if you mean valves are frozen?

 

[John.B]

Just love my job really, done it for nearly 30 years. I hate it as well when people get ripped off by cowboys. This is going to get worse as everybody is jumping on the bandwagon at the moment trying to be a plumber!

 

[John.B]

If expansion pipe is frozen then water can still trickle out. If the cold supply pipe becomes frozen then cylinder will collapse due to implosion.
Best to ring your friends and get a plumbers tel no I think just to be on safe side.

 

[slippyr4]

If the cold supply pipe becomes frozen then cylinder will collapse due to implosion.

you what?

 

[John.B]

Like I say, if the expansion pipe in the loft becomes frozen and then the cold feed to the cylinder becomes frozen and you draw off hot water from the cylinder then the cylinder implodes( collapses). Remember physics at school when in an experiment you could collapse an oil can by heating the water inside and then replacing lid and cooling can with cold water.
Same principle, it's called implosion. Seen it 20 years a go at an old terraced house,very weird when you see it.

 

[very-chilly-wash]

I think I understand what you mean that the cold water tank is fine, but the pipe feeding the hotwater from the cold may be the frozen one and could trickle through and then feed the boiler and hotwater tank with a little water making it come out of the taps and dribble very hot as the boiler only had to heat a small amount of water. I am also a young scientist so I get the implosion part and I live in a teraced house and I don't fancy my luck!!

How do I get to this pipe the cold water tank is in the loft and then where does it go? It's a teraced house in other house i have lived in the hot water tank is in an upstairs cupboard with a nice woolly jacket. Is mine hiding behing the gas fire in the living space downstairs??

thanks


it was as cold as this last year as this at some point, was it not?? may be not this early?