Hot Water Tap Problem

[Eve]

I went for a shower earlier (mixer tap on bath) and no hot water came through.

Checked the bathroom tap and the hot water comes out in bursts then just goes to a trickle then stops. Same with the kitchen tap.

The water is hot so no issue with it heating.

I had a bath last night for the first time in a long long time, maybe the first since I moved in over two years ago (I'm a shower girl) and thought it may have used up all the hot water, hence the dribble.

I just put the hot water on for an hour but no difference.

The cold water taps are fine.

Any ideas welcome.

[The Builder]

Jenna ............. if the cold tank isn't big enough, your bath might have drained all the hot water and introduced an airlock. See if you can blow up the hot tap ......... any hot tap. That usually clears an airlock

[bravejordy]

Could be an airlock. A similar thing happens with my hot water taps after using the bath, the water from the hot tap on the hand basin and the kitchen sink completely stops. However, if I turn all three hot water taps on, the water comes out in splutters and return to normal. Like I said, this only seems to occur after someone has used the bath.

[argorstran]

I think it's scale in the hot water pipes slowing the flow of water .Scale builds up on the heating element in the cylinder . When you had your bath it was the first time that the cylinder had been emptied for 2 yrs (a shower uses only a small amount of water) . The sudden temperature change from the inflow of stone cold water into the cylinder has probably crumbled some of this scale off the element and it's now in the water and flowing into the pipes . Hopefully this scale will break into smaller pieces and flow out through the taps as you continue to use your hot water .

[Eve]

Ahh Builder my friend, blow up to tap? I'll check my semtex stockpile in the shed ;) Seriously though, as in physically blow up as it breathing blow? Does it need to be "sealed" (ewwww!) - can I do it with a straw and seal the gap with my hand?

I'll try turning all three on too :)

Thank goodness it seems fixable and I had a sneaking suspicion it was after the bath, was panicking in case a pipe had bust somewhere or something. Was listening to an ominous drip drip drip from outside earlier but it's next's door's guttering overflowing and dripping on the wheelie bin...phew! (well, not for next door!). Poor guy just moved in and is sorting it tomorrow.

Thanks for all your help!

[Eve]

I've tried blowing up the taps with a straw and turning all three on (nothing came out the upstairs taps when the kitchen one was on though. It seems to go to a constant dribble now rather than stopping and can hear glugging noises so hoping that's progress! Maybe need to leave them on for longer. Am shattered so off to bed and hoping it will be better in the morning, dreading not being able to have a proper hot shower and wash my hair again. Thanks for all your help, will update in the morning, fingers crossed! Thanks again.

[rickycbr]

Make sure you turn off all taps before going to bed.

[Eve]

I did :) Took me a while and a bit of paranoia to make sure they were all off.

Still the same this morning. Just going to a much reduced flow...argh!

[buildersmate]

Blowing up the hot tap using a straw won't work - needs much more oooomph than that. Needs either (much preferred) a short piece of hose over the outside of the tap (to make it easier to get one's mouth over it) or a design of tap / level of personal flexibility to get on'es mouth completely over the end of the tap to give it a good puff. Not the most interesting-sounding task, I know, but by far the easiest way.
If you can find a piece of hose the right diameter to make a good fit over the tap, it is often easy to put the other end of the hose over the cold tap, then force COLD water up the hot water tap and into the system - this does the same job - it forces the air-lock back along the line and out of the pipe where it has become trapped.
P.S. Creative idea concerning 'scale' - but I don't buy that.

[The Builder]

Jenna, my little Macchiato ................ BM knows exactly what I mean. Yes, you really do need a piece of hose or similar. Garden hose connector, or one of those rubber shower attachments that push onto the spout.
As he says, the best way is to push a hose onto both sink or basin taps......... then slowly turn the cold on until it forces the airlock in the hot back up to the roof tank.
A few times, I've gone under the sink and cross connected the H & C plumbing temporarily to do it................ but I wouldn't advise it. You could get into a real mess.
Try and borrow a rugby player and a short length of hose :o)

[The Builder]

Just had another idea Jenna. I'd completely forgotten about this...........

If you have a mixer tap anywhere (two handwheels, one spout),
Put the palm of your hand over the spout and block it completely.
Open the Hot
Slowly turn the Cold one on
The mains cold will then cross over in the tap body, it can't come out of the spout, so it will go up the Hot, forcing the airlock away.

[ChuckFickens]

I thought mixer taps were only allowed to mix the water out outside the tap, not internally.

[AlBags]

What? ... in the air? : )

They mix after the valve .. which is ok.

[WoodyH]

Is your <a href="http://www.homeinsights.org/">bathroom shower</a> directly connected to your tap by any chance? Or is it a separate unit on its own?

[Eve]

Sorry for the late reply have been (shock horror) out drinking coffee...Builder you know me too well haha :)

Well, I tried to do the mouth over blowing thing but it won't seem to let me blow up the tap which confused me a bit (as well as getting mouthfuls of water), almost like there is a block, tried all three taps but the kitchen is quite difficult to get my head anywhere near under - oh for a webcam in my house today! :)

All three (kitchen, bath and basin) are mixer taps with a split in the middle and the shower is a hose which is attached to the body of the mixer tap rather than to one of the taps itself. It's a hosepipe with the shower head on the end (no electric shower unit or anything like that). The pressure is crap normally out of it - I sooooo miss having a power shower!

I don't have any hosepipe but shall go try the hand over pressure thing...I have a feeling this might be messy...I'll be back...

[Eve]

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! After an attempt in the kitchen resulting in me getting a few facefuls of water and ending up in a mad fit of giggles, I composed myself and tried upstairs and RESULT!!!!!

All seems to be ok now and tried the shower - nothing would even come out this morning as there wasn't enough water and/or pressure to get it up through the pipe - and that is fine too now.

Thank you all so so much! Don't know where I'd be without you all.