Real bad airlock

[Namo Amituofo]

I fixed some leaking pipes from floor board nails - but replacing the damaged sections with new pipes and used compression fittings to join them together.

Leakage fixed - but I now have a REALLY BAD AIRLOCK...

- No CW in ground floor bathroom faucet or toilet cistern
- HW good in ground floor bathroom
- both CW and HW good in ground floor kitchen

In my house CW is NOT gravity fed - the loft tank has been empty / deserted from the day I moved in (a few years ago) - there is CH on 1st floor though - but no bathroom hence no HW / CW in 1st floor.

What I've tried so far in ground floor bathroom:

1) direct HW to CW in bathroom faucet - no luck clearing the airlock

2) flush outside tap into bathroom CW faucet - no luck clearing the airlock - gone only as far as filling the toilet cistern but once cistern full the water wont flow further from outside tape into the house...

3) pump air into bathroom CW faucet by using a drill bit pump - no luck

4) suck air out out of bathroom CW faucet by using a really powerful Henry hoover - no luck - tried it for 5 mins and the hoover engine starts to smell of smoking plastic - so I stopped...

Anything else I can try?? :dunno:

Thanks
Namo Amituofo

 

[Dan Robinson]

No CW in ground floor bathroom faucet or toilet cistern

In my house CW is NOT gravity fed

It's not an air lock then is it. Possibly the stop cock jumper stuck on on the valve seating.

 

[Namo Amituofo]

I omitted to say - after I've done my repair - CW in bathroom worked fine for a couple of days - then one day I turn on CW in bathroom faucet and a loud 'thud' sound then no CW at all... I also looked at stop cock - went as far as replacing it with a brand new one - still no luck

 

[Dan Robinson]

Check that the stop cock is the right way round.

 

[picasso]

Did you use compression tees ?

 

[dilalio]

Try Deflatine

 

[Doggit]

Did you by any chance use an PTFE on the compression joint. If you did, then it's possible that the tape has stretched across the pipe as it's been fitted/tightened. Undo the compression joints, and see if there's water in the pipes.

 

[Namo Amituofo]

Check that the stop cock is the right way round.

Thank you Dan - brilliant tip - I knew I was missing something simple...!! What happened was - whoever fitted the old stopcock fitted it the wrong way, so when I replaced it with the new stopcock I put it in the same direction - and I was trying to fix it on my own, so didn't test which direction water flows... I had someone today help me to toggle on/off the outside stopcock - and immediately I realised it's wrong way round!

Problem solved! Thanks a lot mate!
Namo Amituofo

 

[Namo Amituofo]

Did you by any chance use an PTFE on the compression joint. If you did, then it's possible that the tape has stretched across the pipe as it's been fitted/tightened. Undo the compression joints, and see if there's water in the pipes.

I did use PTFE - I had jointing compound too but somehow thought a few rounds of PTFE on the olive is safer than compound

 

[Doggit]

Always turns out to be something straight forward

 

[Dan Robinson]

Glad it's sorted

 

[FiremanT]

Phew! I was worried that thete was some super strength PolyTetraFlouro(?)Ethylene tape on the market, able to withstand mains pressure.

 

[AGAS]

Phew! I was worried that thete was some super strength PolyTetraFlouro(?)Ethylene tape on the market, able to withstand mains pressure.

it might stretch a little maybe a few extra turns did it

 

[dilalio]

Hey! It happens! We've all put clothes on the wrong way round before haven't we?... Haven't we!

A old mate of mine used to put L&R on his wellies... it was then I realised why the missus had C&A on her knickers!


(You have to be of a certain age to get that one!)

 

[Dan Robinson]

You have to be of a certain age to get that one!

It worries me that I am.