Can't get UV cylinder to drain - any advice?

[Jamie Plumber]

Hi,

My first post.

Can't get an old Ariston uv cylinder to drain. Attached drain hose, isolated cold, opened hot tap until it stopped running, opened drain valve, opened temp relief. No water. Swung off temp relief and prv for an hour - won't drain. Opened cold to see if I get a siphon going through drain off. Water went through drain off but didn't create the siphon I hoped for.

I'm thinking it's either sludged up or it's a massive airlock.

I've got my unvented ticket.

Can anyone offer any advice? Really appreciate advice from anyone who's had this happen.

Cheers

J

 

[Darren Jackson]

Sorry we can't answer in the open forum, give your details to the mods to gain access to the closed qualified only members areas.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Drain washer stuck ?

 

[Jamie Plumber]

Sorry we can't answer in the open forum, give your details to the mods to gain access to the closed qualified only members areas.

Thank you how do I give the Mods my details

Cheers,

Jamie

 

[Jamie Plumber]

Drain washer stuck ?

Tried that - pulled it out with a pair of pliers with my eyes half closed waiting for 150 litres of water to hit me.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Tried that - pulled it out with a pair of pliers with my eyes half closed waiting for 150 litres of water to hit me.

Now need to poke something through to make sure it’s not blocked warning water will start to come out

 

[WC1]

Engage safety squints!

 

[Jamie Plumber]

The poke tec

Now need to poke something through to make sure it’s not blocked warning water will start to come out

The poke technique is what I'm using tomorrow morning... armed with a wet vac and a big flexi tub and maybe an umbrella

 

[Ben-gee]

My preferred method to drain any cylinder is undo hot take off, insert length of hose and syphon out the contents - works regardless of scale and is much quicker. Either run hose to outside or a convenient bath/lavatory.

 

[Jamie Plumber]

My preferred method to drain any cylinder is undo hot take off, insert length of hose and syphon out the contents - works regardless of scale and is much quicker. Either run hose to outside or a convenient bath/lavatory.

This old beast has got soldered fittings on hot and cold outlets - can't even crack a nut to let some air in. Think Ill try to partially open the temp relief valve and then get the wet vac on the end of the hose. See if I can start to siphon it out that way. I'll cut in to the pipe as soon as I can to create a vent. I tried everything earlier and couldn't get the water to run. Headache

 

[townfanjon]

Customer has probably drained it for you , is there any water in it lol .

 

[Aire]

Customer has probably drained it for you , is there any water in it lol .

That would be embarassing

 

[Jamie Plumber]

Customer has probably drained it for you , is there any water in it lol .

I wish. I think it's proper clogged up. Gonna be a bit of a nightmare.

 

[Jamie Plumber]

That would be embarassing

That would be a relief

 

[chris watkins]

Connect hose & open drain off with the cold mains turned on, if water comes out under mains pressure, it is not blocked & just need air to be allowed in.
Siphoning is OK if you can get a good drop on the hose, even better is a small compressor on the hot outlet. Even if drain off blocked you can normally get it to drain out of the PR Valve or get one of those self cutting drain off's.

 

[Sharp Point]

This old beast has got soldered fittings on hot and cold outlets - can't even crack a nut to let some air in. Think Ill try to partially open the temp relief valve and then get the wet vac on the end of the hose. See if I can start to siphon it out that way. I'll cut in to the pipe as soon as I can to create a vent. I tried everything earlier and couldn't get the water to run. Headache

Stop being a god damn ***** boy, heat up the hot water draw off union nut with a blow torch and get a big pair of shifters on it.... not stilsons though, as the hot brass will crush the nut.

 

[Jamie Plumber]

Update on the cylinder - got the beast out the day after. The most clogged up I've come seen. When I tipped it up to empty the last bit of water into a drain, nothing came out. Just a sound of rocks rattling around at the bottom of the cylinder. I could hear a bit of water sploshing round in there too, just couldn't get past years of crap at the bottom. Sounded like a couple of half eaten immersions were lurking down there

 

[moonlight]

Are you binning the old cylinder? If you are, cut off hot outlet. Fix a hose to a 15mm length of copper, drop down hot outlet and siphon away.

 

[galaxy_plumbing]

can you lose up immersion and use wet vac until water stops then put hose in and syphon or use one these to speed up https://www.amazon.co.uk/ESENOTM-Ex...ocphy=9046035&hvtargid=pla-549171372879&psc=1

did last 300l unvented with this one and it was blasting out , good luck