HOT WATER AIR LOCK

[teddy]

After draining down to make a plumbing repair and refilling the system I now have an air lock in the hot water system. Please... Please ....can anyone help.

I have tried holding a rag over a mixer tap but the force of the water is too great to keep it there!

[Rufushound]

I the air lock in a instant hot water heating system, if it is try turning the ******** off half way and then turning on the hot water tap. Their should be enough pressure to then push out the traped air.

[teddy]

Thanks Rufushound but It's not in the central heating system, it's in the domestic hot water system.  Do you have any other ideas that I could try?

[New Forester]

Your mixer tap idea is a good one, especially if the cold is off the mains (eg a kitchen sink).  I suggest something more robust to hold the pressure in.  Try a garden hose clip with a short length of hose on it, folded near the end to stop the water coming out.  The cold only needs to be turned on a little -- it's the pressure which does it, not the volume.



Of course, it's important that the hot and cold connect -- some "mixers" have separate nozzles for hot and cold and putting something flat across the end will not work.



If your mixer's cold is not off the mains (eg a bath tap), the cold pressure may not be enough to back up the air-lock.  In that case, you could try connecting a mains cold tap to a hot with a hose.

[teddy]

Thanks New Forester ! Problem now sorted. Thanks