REGULAR BOILER HELP (HEADER TANK IN LOFT)

[Ian Auckland]

Hello,

Please can you advise me on the following;

I need to do some work on my hot tap pipe work in bathroom. I can't use the gate valve as this is broken to shut of the cylinder fill pipe.

How do I go about shutting off the hot water without draining down the system?

Thanks

 

[Burger]

Hello,

Please can you advise me on the following;

I need to do some work on my hot tap pipe work in bathroom. I can't use the gate valve as this is broken to shut of the cylinder fill pipe.

How do I go about shutting off the hot water without draining down the system?

Thanks

Hello Ian,

You can isolate the cold water storage cistern (cwsc) in the loft (the one that feeds the cylinder) or turn off your cold main and then run hot taps until they stop. I would also recommend changing your gate valve whilst this is drained. Also if the cwsc has no isolation valve I would recommend fitting one.

 

[Ian Auckland]

Thank you CBW1982 for your reply. I am just worried about causing an airlock in the system if I drain it down?

 

[Burger]

Thank you CBW1982 for your reply. I am just worried about causing an airlock in the system if I drain it down?

That could all depend on your pipework layout, if there's any slight rises, or passover bends, then you are likely to either way, air locks are usually easy to rectify anyway.

 

[Ian Auckland]

Thanks.

Can you talk me through how to deal with am airlock if i encounter one?

Thanks

 

[Rob Foster]

Just tie up the ball valve drain down hot off you go. Check there is a mains water supply in bathroom as cleaning teeth in tank water is not nice, did a job with dead pidgeon in cold water storage ..the water stank
centralheatking

 

[Burger]

Thanks.
Can you talk me through how to deal with am airlock if i encounter one?
Thanks

Yes no problem. If it’s a straightforward setup, should be relatively easy without causing an airlock.

 

[Burger]

did a job with dead pidgeon in cold water storage ..the water stank
centralheatking

- did you set fire to it?

 

[Millsy 82]

Thanks.

Can you talk me through how to deal with am airlock if i encounter one?

Thanks

Open all the taps when draining down then turn the water back on once finished and then when water starts coming out the taps turn them off. Dont turn them off before you start filling above found this is when I have the most air locks.

 

[Rob Foster]

- did you set fire to it?

lobbed it in the corner of the loft ...it was the size of a basketball...but get the dig !

 

[Ian Auckland]

Thanks for you help people. I will proceed with the pipe amendments tonight, and let you know how I get on.

 

[Ian Auckland]

Hello amended my pipe work. Turn the mains feed back on left hot water taps on and I'm getting hot water out the kitchen sink tap and bath tap. Its splurging like theres air in the system and the header tank is making all sorts of gurgling noises. No water coming out of the hot tap tho it did for short time but stopped completely? Can anyone help?

 

[fixitflav]

Hello,

Please can you advise me on the following;

I need to do some work on my hot tap pipe work in bathroom. I can't use the gate valve as this is broken to shut of the cylinder fill pipe.

How do I go about shutting off the hot water without draining down the system?

Thanks

Just noticed there was been a development before I posted this, but still...........

I changed the iso valve on the cold pipe from the tank a while back, as old valve seized. I didn't want to drain off the water to waste so I made up a mushroom shaped thingy out of a bolt, flat washer and some plumbers mait. Open a cold tap to a trickle, then reach down inside the tank and insert the mushroom into the outlet pipe. As the water drains from the pipe the head of water in the tank holds it in place. Sealed plenty well enough to do the job. You might be able to do it that way, on the outlet that feeds cold to the bottom of the HW cylinder, obviously.
As others have said, while you're at it definitely worth replacing the valve.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Keep running the kitchen sink until it’s free of air

 

[Ian Auckland]

Keep running the kitchen sink until it’s free of air

Hot tap or cold it's a mixer tap

 

[Riley]

Just noticed there was been a development before I posted this, but still..

I changed the iso valve on the cold pipe from the tank a while back, as old valve seized. I didn't want to drain off the water to waste so I made up a mushroom shaped thingy out of a bolt, flat washer and some plumbers mait. Open a cold tap to a trickle, then reach down inside the tank and insert the mushroom into the outlet pipe. As the water drains from the pipe the head of water in the tank holds it in place. Sealed plenty well enough to do the job. You might be able to do it that way, on the outlet that feeds cold to the bottom of the HW cylinder, obviously.
As others have said, while you're at it definitely worth replacing the valve.

I’d not recommend this as you could get mait down the feed pipe and block things

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Hot tap or cold it's a mixer tap

Hot

 

[Ian Auckland]

The hot tap down stairs has been running for ages, water is running from the hot tap in bathroom now but there is deffo air still in there.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

The hot tap down stairs has been running for ages, water is running from the hot tap in bathroom now but there is deffo air still in there.

You should be fine now turn both off and let the tank fill then try again for a few mins

 

[Rob Foster]

If its a mixer tap in the kitchen
its dead easy.....get a beer mat or something flat ...block the outputs from the mixer into the sink, use a g clamp. Turn the hot side on then turn the cold mains side on gently...open a hot tap upstairs and just blow the airlock out. it can get messy but works. then dis assemble in reverse order ...job done.
Rob Foster aka centralheatking

 

[Ian Auckland]

If its a mixer tap in the kitchen
its dead easy...get a beer mat or something flat ...block the outputs from the mixer into the sink, use a g clamp. Turn the hot side on then turn the cold mains side on gently...open a hot tap upstairs and just blow the airlock out. it can get messy but works. then dis assemble in reverse order ...job done.
Rob Foster aka centralheatking

If its a mixer tap in the kitchen
its dead easy...get a beer mat or something flat ...block the outputs from the mixer into the sink, use a g clamp. Turn the hot side on then turn the cold mains side on gently...open a hot tap upstairs and just blow the airlock out. it can get messy but works. then dis assemble in reverse order ...job done.
Rob Foster aka centralheatking

Hello it's not the

If its a mixer tap in the kitchen
its dead easy...get a beer mat or something flat ...block the outputs from the mixer into the sink, use a g clamp. Turn the hot side on then turn the cold mains side on gently...open a hot tap upstairs and just blow the airlock out. it can get messy but works. then dis assemble in reverse order ...job done.
Rob Foster aka centralheatking

Hello it's not the kitchen tap which has the air in the line it's the hot tap in the bathroom. The header tank Is full and stopped gurgling but air is still trying to push out the hot water side (mixer tap in bathroom aswell). What should I do?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Keep going until all air is out and get the broken valve replaced later on

 

[Ian Auckland]

Keep going until all air is out and get the broken valve replaced later on

So leave the kitchen hot tap open and the bathroom hot tap open? Does the bath hot tap need to be open?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

So leave the kitchen hot tap open and the bathroom hot tap open? Does the bath hot tap need to be open?

Just open one at a time eg run the bath one till no spurting

Then do the others one by one

 

[Ian Auckland]

Just open one at a time eg run the bath one till no spurting

Then do the others one by one

There is no sporting out the others only the bathroom hot, I've had it running for ages put still has air in there.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

There is no sporting out the others only the bathroom hot, I've had it running for ages put still has air in there.

Maybe leave it tonight and try in the morning but if waters coming out you should be fine for now in regards to an air lock

 

[Ian Auckland]

I will do a small video of the tap running and post tomorrow. Thanks for your help.

 

[Ian Auckland]

Good Morning All,
Here is a video as promised, please let me know your thoughts.

Dropbox - 20190718_063042.mp4 - Simplify your life

 

[fixitflav]

I’d not recommend this as you could get mait down the feed pipe and block things

I've used this method several times with no problem. There's no way a big lump of mait will get into the pipe, small piece highly unlikely but maybe just possible, and if it did it would come out via a tap.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Looks fine should sort it self out over a week under normal operation

 

[Riley]

I've used this method several times with no problem. There's no way a big lump of mait will get into the pipe, small piece highly unlikely but maybe just possible, and if it did it would come out via a tap.

Not worth the risk

 

[Ian Auckland]

Looks fine should sort it self out over a week under normal operation

Ive had the issue with this hot tap and air in the systen ever since I installed the sink and tap, but had noticed a small leak on the hot line hence why i replaced some of the hot water feed pipe, hoping this would solve the problem. The install was done around three months ago and the tap is used daily so I dont think its going to right itself. Ive have a feeling it may have something to do it with being a high pressure tap on a low pressure system?? The flexi's are so restrictive, the old skin didnt have a mixer tap it was two seperate taps and the flex pipes were alotless restrictive.

 

[fixitflav]

Not worth the risk

That's your opinion, mine's different

 

[Riley]

And by your own admission you are a DIYer so I would use a bung and do it the professional way

 

[fixitflav]

And by your own admission you are a DIYer so I would use a bung and do it the professional way

If I remember right, on mine the tank connector has internal ribs, to take a key when installing, so a bung wouldn't work. And some have raised lugs on the flange for same reason, and on that type my method wouldn't work. Horses for courses. My method works fine on my system, DIY-er or not.