no water in detached house - house left on by mistake

only_a_newbie

Hi all,

There is no water pressure in my detached house after leaving the hose on for a few hours attached to a sprinkler in our garden. Can anyone explain why this is happening? toilet cisterns, taps and washing machine are all without water. Surely this shouldn't happen ? Out side tap is still working

Please advise if anyone can

Thanks

Lenar3556

The attic tank probably emptied and there is now an airlock in pipework from it.

Leave taps on and it may self resolve. Otherwise try blocking the outlet of a your kitchen mixer tap with the palm of your hand and turning on both hot and cold. Then repeat this process at a mixer tap elsewhere in the hose if you have one.

only_a_newbie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122295085#Comment_122295085

Attic tank is full… just checked… but the pressure bar on the boiler is at 1 if this has anything to do with anything.

User567363

Tank is full now, but air probably got into the pipes, water will fall down hill in your pipes, but some pipes are flat or even uphill, which is normally fine, but if these fill with air, the air will keep to the top of the next drop and act like a blockage

Normally a tiny flow will return then after a few days it will be back to normal

Best to only run spriklers for a short time in the evening so it wont evaporate away

only_a_newbie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122295123#Comment_122295123

thanks… can I accelerate the repair myself? Anything I can do to clear the airblock apart from the blocking mixer tap with palm of my hand?

TheSunIsShining

Is your kitchen cold water tap working? That should be fed directly from the mains?

only_a_newbie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122295139#Comment_122295139

Nah, it's never had great pressure since the mixer tap was changed about a year ago. Nothing coming out of any taps in the house. But again, outside tap is flowing freely and the tank in the attic is full

Gooser14

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122295179#Comment_122295179

If you can connect a hose from the outside tap to a down stairs (open) cold tap it might remove the air block. I'm surprised your kitchen cold tap is not working as it should be fed from the mains.

Have you checked the attic tank for a blockage at outlet pipe(s)?

tabby aspreme

If you can get your mouth over the tap , blow into it and then suck, repeat this a few times and it may remove the airlock

ShadowSA

Connect the hot water tap to the cold and it should clear the airlock.

Your Kitchen tap cold should be fed from the mains and not from the attic as it's drinking water?

only_a_newbie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122295282#Comment_122295282

which tap …. and are you actually serious?

Dr Turk Turkelton

After all the rain we've had for the last 15 months and the ground full of water why would you have a sprinkler turned on?

tabby aspreme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122295342#Comment_122295342

Do it with both, yes I'm serious

ShadowSA

Well I am part of a FB group about lawns and they are all watering daily which suprises me.

Would a well dry up so easily or just that the water was going to the tap and not the attic tank?

whelan2

Are they being metered for water?

Gooser14

Presumably the sprinkler was connected to the outside tap. If that is the case then it should not have affected the water level in the attic tank.

TheSunIsShining

Just to check. Are you on mains water or is your water from a well?

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122295582#Comment_122295582

That is indeed the rather critical question!! You could easily run a well dry by leaving an hose pipe on. If the case, make sure to turn off power to the pump in well, leave for a day or so to recover and then turn it on.

But as noted, above we had a good drop of rain on Friday in many parts. Why you'd be watering anything other than a greenhouse is a mystery.

Odelay

Id say there is a mouse or some bit of debris stuck in the outlet of your attic tank.

only_a_newbie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122295582#Comment_122295582

mains. detached house in dunboyne. hose was connected to outside tap. no water coming from cold taps, showers, toilet cisterns (not refilling) and only some very low pressure from hot taps. Out side tap working no problem. Tank in attic is full.
I have tried to block hot mixer with palm of my hand and 'force' back into an open cold tap but this hasn't worked. I have also pushed hose from outside tap to downstairs toilet cold tap to flush back up tap, this has not worked either.
I will try and lead the hose upstairs to the bathroom cold tap and try and force cold water back up through the cold tap in the morning…

Any other tips please let me know.
Thanks for advice so far

only_a_newbie

apologies but where is the outlet pipe from the attic tank and how can I check it some debris or something is stuck in it?
thanks

Odelay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122296249#Comment_122296249

It will be about 2 inches off the bottom of the tank.

niallb

Theres a lot of water works in that area at the moment. Check with your neighbours if they have water.

User567363

I a sure you are a gifted facebook trend follower, but i feel you need a gifted plumber for this one

only_a_newbie

thanks all.
I tried the palm of hand over the hot mixer tap in the utility room for about two mins and it seems to have worked. All taps are now working.
Getting to the route of the problem as it is a reoccurring one over the past two years or so… I fit a mixer tap in the kitchen two years ago and the pressure is awful from the cold side of it… a dribble of water is the best way of describing it. Could this be a reason why the airlocks are happening? Have I fit a wrong type of tap… is there different type of mixers? The pressure was fine before I fit this mixer but as I say now and since its been awful at the kitchen sink.
Any further advice would be great… got mixer tap in B&Q.
Thanks

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122295401#Comment_122295401

bunch of bloody lunatics. we should have brought in water charges, if only to stop this sort of madness.

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122296246#Comment_122296246

my tip is to stop watering the lawn.

Muas Tenek

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122296701#Comment_122296701

Have you checked the isolation valve on the flexi hose going to the tap? It may not be fully open.

The slot should be in line with the valve as shown.

TheSunIsShining

As was indicted earlier, your kitchen cold water should be coming directly from the mains. So something is still off with what you are describing........

User567363

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122297779#Comment_122297779

Yesh, i hope your not drinking the water from the attic tank