Help...no hot water!!!!

Something really odd has happened. I noticed a few hours ago that our radiators weren't hot so I checked in the hot water cupboard and the out and in pipes were both stone cold. Fiddled about a bit but couldn't get them to work []

Then I realised the water in the taps was cold....or tepid at best. Checking the water pipes from and to the wetback show that the pipe from the wetback is only slightly warm, even though the fire is burning very hot [][] That will explain why the radiators aren't going as they don't kick in until the water in the cylinder is a certain temperature...but why isn't the wetback working? It's not as if there are moving parts, are there?

Any ideas?

Cheers
Kate

No :confused:
Where's hubby when you need him !!!!

I am Minister of Animal Affairs
He is Minister of Water and Minister of Fencing

I'm presuming the hot water cylinder is off? If the hot water cylinder is on, has a fuse blown?

If the HWC is off and you're only using the wetback I'm told they can get an air block which might account for no hot water (as no water is circulating).

On my system I have a valve I can open to put water through to clear an air pocket (don't ask me if everyone has one, my tame plumber said ring him if I ever have a problem and he'd tell me what to do).

Past that, it's beyond my capabilities.

Thanks...the hot water switch is on but there is no hot water...air block huh? I'll see what I can find but there is so much pipework and so few clues...[]

Would bleeding the radiators help? []

That's the limit of my techie abilities sorry!

The valve on mine is a brass fitting sitting at the top of the hot water cylinder with a handle on it and when you pull it down there's a choo (rather like a train) as air, then water shoots through and out the over-flow.

Somewhere you will have an overflow pipe that comes out onto your roof, to allow for the water to over-flow if it ever gets too hot. The valve fitting should be on (or near) to that pipe.

I guess the difference is, I helped put in my pipework, so I know where they go, otherwise I'd be completely in the dark as well.

Kate;165277 wrote: Thanks...the hot water switch is on but there is no hot water...air block huh? I'll see what I can find but there is so much pipework and so few clues...[]

Look for something tap like high up (air rises) that when you open it lets out a lot of hot air...which should then be followed by a stream of water that increases in velocity until its going full bore. When its going full pelt shut it off and you should have removed airlock if thats the problem

Thanks...the cylinder is a 280l one and it's huge! I'll try to find the bit you mention but might just leave it to a plumber tomorrow...

I was going to say about bleeding radiators, but you'd need a bleeding key, do ya have a bleeding key for bleeding radiators!??


That used to be BDs favourite pastime when the central heating went on for the first time! He loved it! hehehehe

Well there are four taps and I've tried them all with no success I don't think bleeding the radiators will help as we have no hot water at all - not just in the radiators so that shouldn't be an issue.

I'm onto a plumber!

Cheers
Kate

Well gerrof 'im and let 'im do 'is job! Sheesh!

[}]

I hope you have more luck than me then. I called one 2 weeks ago to fix a small leak in the pipe that circulates the water thru the solar system. He came and looked and twice I've rung or he's called to say he's coming but so far he hasn't. Mind you it gave me great satisfaction to tell him on Thursday, no thanks I have a house full of family and emptying the HW tank is not an option! If it doesn't happen in the next couple of days, someone else will be asked!

Well if he takes two weeks I'm going to be a bit smelly by the time he gets here [}]

Well the plumber is here and you'll all be glad to know that the laws of physics do still apply [8D] The bad news is we've been wasting a lot of hot water []

Briefly, the rain yesterday filled our 1 year old water tank to a higher level than the overflow pipe on the roof. Because we've had a drought for so long it hadn't happened before....[}]

The plumber is risking life and limb as I type this, extending the overflow pipe. Of course, because of the rain yesterday and this morning, we couldn't tell the pipe was overflowing.

Some of the water would have been caught in the gutters and be recycled into the catching tank. Which was probably the warmest water on the property this morning. If only I'd known when I was trying to wash myself in cold water!!

Cheers
Kate