Urinal auto flush siphon not flushing

[DaleRCL]

Morning All,

I have recently fitted a couple of urinals fed by a cistern in the loft space above. The cistern is fed by a basic petcock. However, the siphon never actually flushes, the cistern just keeps filling and eventually just starts to run down the overflow.

I have tried changing the siphon for 2 different ones but just keep having the same problem. The only way to make it flush is to slacken the nut joining the cistern outlet to the pipe work feeding the urinal spreaders. This seems to let air in and initiates the flush.

All the pipe work has a decent fall from cistern to urinals so there shouldn't be any airlock.

Any ideas or suggestions would be gladly welcomed.

Thanks

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

If you've changed 3 siphons and it's still not working then problem has to be in the pipework. Without seeing it its difficult to say, but normally the cistern would be mounted near the ceiling, and pipework descending from there to feed the horizontal branches to each urinal/stall. Your description of a 'decent fall' worries me. How have you arranged this pipework and how much is there?

 

[DaleRCL]

Thanks for reply Hugh. I think your suspicions are right. The cistern is quite far from the urinals and the pipework runs horizontally for a period. We were very limited for space and had to put cistern up in loft space as customer didn't want it on show above urinals. Looks like he'll have to have it there after all.

 

[Echo the husky]

...as customer didn't want it on show above urinals. Looks like he'll have to have it there after all.

You'll just have to make the installation nicer to look at!

 

[Madrab]

And have a nice attendant prepared to brasso it all the time

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Those Victorian era Gents conveniences are often a work of art IMO. Pity so many have either been buried, demolished, refurbished or just left to rot, (although there's a 'nice' example at Northampton that is still in use, but doesn't appear to have had much maintenance or deep cleaning since about 1927....)