Poor stream from hot water tap All aspects of plumbing questions and answers, help, tips and information

[shaema]

Thanks very much for this excellent forum.

In my bathroom upstairs I have a basin with cold and hot taps connected to a mixer. It has been working fine until a few days ago when the water from the hot water tap got very weak but it is hot. The cold water tap is fine.

I thought the problem was with the hot water handle so I swapped it with the cold one but the problem is still there.

The upstairs shower is working fine.

The other taps in the another upstairs basin were OK.

I have a conventional Hot Water System with the boiler in the kitchen and a storage cylinder upstairs.

Any help is appreciated.

[stoneyboy]

shaema,
Good chance you have an airlock, turn the tap on and suck with a wet vacuum cleaner.
end

[Dave From Leeds]

shaema,

Here's another way to clear an airlock on a mixer tap. If the cold tap for the basin is fed by mains water, open the hot tap then put your thumb over the outlet. Finally gradually open the cold tap. The cold water at mains pressure should then push the air up out of the pipework feeding the hot tap. Once the pipe is reprimed with water the hot tap should run OK.

[shaema]

Many thanks for your replies.

I will try the the second soultion as I don't have a wet vaccum cleaner.

I will report later on

Thanks again

shaema

[shaema]

I have had a go at my mixer. Apparently my "mixer" mixes the hot and cold water at the nozzle! and there is no contact between the hot and cold water inside.

So this solution is not appropriate.

I am just wondering that apart from the possibe air lock, is there any valve or some thing similar inside the hot water tap which may have gone faulty and does not allow the full stream of hot water to come out?

I am reluctant to call in a plumber at this stage as I do not want to be ripped off and I don't know whether the tap or the relevant pipes need changing without real need for that.

Help please!!

[stoneyboy]

shaema,
If your mixer has mains cold you could try DFLs suggestion and find a plastic cap which will seal on the mixer tap end - this will allow the H&C to be linked.
If not suggest you hire a wet vac - the cheapest way is to hire a rug doctor from either Homebase or B&Q you will need the hand held cleaning attachment. I think homebase does 1/2 days hire but see which one is cheapest - you won't need any chemicals.
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[shaema]

Dear all

Many thanks for your interest in my problem.

I was about to go for the rug doctor when things took a different turn

The hot water flow from the hot water tap in the upstairs bathroom bazin [ no mixer ] started to become weaker and weaker almost to a trickle. For many hours the flow remains weak and then suddenly it runs faster for a few minutes then slows down again. This has been happening for the last few days. The nearby shower has no problem with the hot water.

I think now the problem may not be with the individual taps or the mixer, but with the feeding hot pipes. I am very much confused about these pipes

Would an air lock affact only the taps and not the showers upatairs? The downstairs hot water flow is Ok.

I appreciate your comments.

[stoneyboy]

shaema,
Usually a shower is not fed by the same pipe as the taps.
You still need to use the rug doctor to eliminate an air lock as the problem.
end