Airlocked domestic water system?

[flobadob]

Our water pipes have been making a really loud straining noise recently when we've run the taps and turned them off quickly or flushed the toilet. Last night was really bad. I have been told that perhaps it is airlocked and I have turned the pressure way down using the outside stopcock.

The thing is I was going to ask today how to resolve an airlocked system but this morning someone left the emersion heater on too long and it started to overflow into the main tank in the attic and the pipes have not made the noise this morning yet even though I've been running taps and flushing the toilet a few times as I was going to try to find where exactly the noise was coming from.

I'm just wondering, could the fact that the hot tank overflowed to the attic have actually fixed our airlock problem or is it just as likely that it will flare up again? And also is it easy enough to fix an airlock or would I need to call a plumber? Thanks.

[ACB312]

Hello, It sounds like you had an airlock and the overflowing hot feed 'pushed' the air out. A usual dodge is to use a short bit of hose with a tap fitting at each end to connect your kitchen cold tap to the hot tap and open both taps for a few seconds. The mains cold is usually at enough pressure to push air out. I would be worried that your hot vented out because your immersion heater was on 'too long'. It would appear that the heater thermostat is faulty as it should shut the heater down when the set temperature is reached. Hope this helps. Andy

[flobadob]

Thanks A. The only thing is our kitchen sink has only got one thingy that water comes out instead of two so I can't link them together. And yes I must check out that heater cos it never cuts out, perhaps there is no cut out fitted. Last year it was left on for hours and nearly wrecked the place.

[The Builder]

.............here Flobbers................easy DIY job......... :o)

[The Builder]

.........forgot the bleedin' link................. :o(((

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/nav.jsp?acti on=detail&fh_secondid=9271647&fh_view_size=6&f h_start_index=12&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2 fen_GB&fh_search=thermostat&fh_eds=%c3%9f&fh_r efview=search&ts=1226759654173&isSearch=true

[flobadob]

How would you fit one of them things Builder, does it go inside the wee tank, or is it fitted outside and does it need power connected? I was thinking of just fitting some sort of resettable time clock to the power switch.

[The Builder]

this shows a top entry element..........yours may be side entry.............same thing.....................

http://www.diydata.com/problem/immersion/immer sion_heaters.php

...........assuming what you have is a big copper cylinder in the airing cupboard?

[flobadob]

Cheers, must get a look at it.