No Hot water coming out of any taps!

Calibos

We've moved to inherited period property after the sale of our current house. This will only be for a month or three till architects and builders are contracted for major renovation project. We will then move back out and rent during the renovations.

We moved into the period property expecting the worst but were pleasently suprised that the Central heating worked and continues to work fine. The first few days we had hot water from the taps too.

Unfortunately on Friday hot water stopped flowing from the taps. ie. No water hot nor cold from the hot taps. The only thing we can think that precipitated this is that there is a smaller than average Emersion and 3 baths were run in quick succession.

Anyway I figured it was an airlock.

Thrilled to note the mixer tap in the kitchen. Not thrilled to find that it was divided to the tip of the nozzle. A quick survey of plastic bottles revealed that a large Listerine was a perfect fit for the tap.

So I filled the Listernine bottle with cold to remove all the air in the bottle, fitted it over the tap, opened the hot than turned on the mains cold.

Up to the attic to find water flowing out of the overflow drop pipe into the water tank. Great.

Turn on the hot taps upstairs. Theres 6. Cold water now coming out. Thats fine I thought. Its mains cold I am flusing the air out of the system with. One thing to note is that not all hot taps had full flow at the same time. But once some of the others were turned off we would get full flow in those left open. I also noted that water would stop flowing out of the overflow pipe into the tank in the attic whenever I had a hot tap open.

Also opened any pipe joints that I could find in case there was air trapped in any bends. No air came from joints and water would start to flow out the pipes at these locations imediatly.

Anyway, I figured, Job done. All air must be out of system.

Removed mains cold from the hot water system and........

Not water coming out of the Hot taps again.

Got my uncle down who fit the gas central heating boiler years ago and we did the process again twice. He was as baffled as I was. Said the central heating system was separate bar a feed into the immersion tank and that it was still safe to use central heating and he doesn't think the central heating is the problem and like I said no problem with the rads. All lovely and hot.

Anyone got any ideas??

ART6

Calibos wrote: »

We've moved to inherited period property after the sale of our current house. This will only be for a month or three till architects and builders are contracted for major renovation project. We will then move back out and rent during the renovations.

We moved into the period property expecting the worst but were pleasently suprised that the Central heating worked and continues to work fine. The first few days we had hot water from the taps too.

Unfortunately on Friday hot water stopped flowing from the taps. ie. No water hot nor cold from the hot taps. The only thing we can think that precipitated this is that there is a smaller than average Emersion and 3 baths were run in quick succession.

Anyway I figured it was an airlock.

Thrilled to note the mixer tap in the kitchen. Not thrilled to find that it was divided to the tip of the nozzle. A quick survey of plastic bottles revealed that a large Listerine was a perfect fit for the tap.

So I filled the Listernine bottle with cold to remove all the air in the bottle, fitted it over the tap, opened the hot than turned on the mains cold.

Up to the attic to find water flowing out of the overflow drop pipe into the water tank. Great.

Turn on the hot taps upstairs. Theres 6. Cold water now coming out. Thats fine I thought. Its mains cold I am flusing the air out of the system with. One thing to note is that not all hot taps had full flow at the same time. But once some of the others were turned off we would get full flow in those left open. I also noted that water would stop flowing out of the overflow pipe into the tank in the attic whenever I had a hot tap open.

Also opened any pipe joints that I could find in case there was air trapped in any bends. No air came from joints and water would start to flow out the pipes at these locations imediatly.

Anyway, I figured, Job done. All air must be out of system.

Removed mains cold from the hot water system and........

Not water coming out of the Hot taps again.

Got my uncle down who fit the gas central heating boiler years ago and we did the process again twice. He was as baffled as I was. Said the central heating system was separate bar a feed into the immersion tank and that it was still safe to use central heating and he doesn't think the central heating is the problem and like I said no problem with the rads. All lovely and hot.

Anyone got any ideas??

The central heating is independant of the hot water circuit, so your uncle is right. No problem using the central heating. The fact that you can get water from the hot taps when your Listerine device is connected suggests that the basic water circuit is OK but that water is not getting from the main tank down to the hot water cylinder, as what you are doing is essentially bypassing the tank. My best guess would be that the extra demand you put on the tank when you ran three baths in succession caused something in the tank to be drawn into the outlet pipe and blocking it -- could even be sediment or something (or a dead mouse!!).

I'd be inclined to reattach your Listerine device and block off the vent pipe to the tank. That should put pressure on the outlet pipe and blow out whatever's blocking it. Just be careful not to put too much pressure on the hot water cylinder.

I'd guess that the reason why you don't get full flow from all hot taps at the same time is simply a matter of pipe resistance. 15 mm pipes can only carry so much water at a time.

Calibos

Thats it I bet!

Thanks for that ART. Now I remember someone mentioned some downy feathers in their bath last week.

Looks like i won't get the kudos for fixing this myself though. SWMBO booked a plumber for this afternoon. I'd cancel only she wants a new telephone shower installed now anyway.

Well at least if he is charging by the hour I can cut out the hour or two of diagnosis of the hot water problem.

Thanks again!

ART6

Sounds like you have a small and very dead bird stuck in the outlet then, so you might think about health issues. I'd clear the blockage and then run at least a tank full out through the taps before turning on the water heater. Then turn on the heater and set the water temperature high for an hour or two -- over 60 C. Don't let anyone use the hot water while that's going on, then again run each of the hot taps to give them a good flush through with very hot water. Pathogenic bacteria die at temperatures over 60 degrees, so it's better than fiddling with chemicals.

Pity you didn't post this a day or so earlier, then you'd have all of the kudos from a very admiring female:D

Calibos

No show from the plumber.

Did what you said ART and......It worked!! Just some air and a few more downy feathers came out into the tank. Also drained and cleaned the tank in the attic while I was at it and with the ballcock held up closed and the hot water valve closed I also took off the bathroom mixer tap/telephone shower and fixed the leak and freed the seized shower/tap on/off handle. I began by stirring up the accumulated years of dust to suspend it in the water and flushed it straight out with the cold bath tap before it had time to resettle. Refilled and flushed again and then drained it completely and scrubbed down the side walls and floor and scooped out the heavy crud. Another refill and flush and then I did the telephone shower. The water at the beginning was the colour of Coca Cola.

So jobs now a goodin'. Crystal clear water, hot water and a working non leaking telephone shower.

The Kudos is Mine!! and yours of course. Thanks a million mate!!