Urgent - communal boiler in council flat - my tank doesn't fill up with hot water

[anitak]

Looking for urgent plumbing advice - we have a communal heating system in our ex-council flat, and individual hot water tank in the bathroom. for a week we haven't had hot water coming out of the taps and the tank is stone cold. 2 plumbers/engineers so far have tried to clear the suspected airlock from the main loft tank, without success. We are the only flat in the building with this problem. Every time our tank heats up for about 15 minutes after airing the pipes, hot water flows back in to the tank, then goes cold again after plumber leaves. They say they are out of options and won't come back, leaving us with a newborn baby and no hot water supply and clueless as to what to do. They say we might have a dead water tank?! Any advice hugely appreciated.

 

[Deleted member 120897]

If it’s communal boiler , I doubt the loft will have an air lock, although I could be wrong. I would have thought it would be a pressurised system in a boiler house. Do you have an immer heater as a temporary measure?

 

[anitak]

If it’s communal boiler , I doubt the loft will have an air lock, although I could be wrong. I would have thought it would be a pressurised system in a boiler house. Do you have an immer heater as a temporary measure?

thanks, we don't have an immer heater, our radiators work perfectly fine, it's the hot water supply to our tank and taps that has failed

 

[Deleted member 120897]

It sounds as if the coil is fed from the communal side then, again wouldn’t be an air lock if it’s a pressurised system, I haven’t seen a open vent type one before. Have you had a domestic plumber in or a commercial one?

 

[anitak]

It sounds as if the coil is fed from the communal side then, again wouldn’t be an air lock if it’s a pressurised system, I haven’t seen a open vent type one before. Have you had a domestic plumber in or a commercial one?

commercial plumber, it's difficult to get a domestic one on the case as our boiler room is only accessible by commercial plumbers that manages the building services. Frustration! If the tank is failing that's fine, can be replaced, but how do we know if that is actually the issue... it's a pressurised system, there was air in the pipes when they checked but they got rid of it they said, and the hot water still doesn't reach our tank. we are the bottom flat with 2 stories above who have no issues.

 

[Deleted member 120897]

I wouldn’t say at this stage that it’s a failing tank. It might just be a flow or balancing issue.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Have you asked the other tenants if there’s is working I mean hot water out the taps on your floor ?

Or are you the only one eg 1 flat per floor ?

 

[anitak]

Have you asked the other tenants if there’s is working I mean hot water out the taps on your floor ?

Or are you the only one eg 1 flat per floor ?

yes all other owners/tenants on all 4 floors have working hot water coming out of the taps, 2 flats per floor and our neighbour has no issues. its just us so likely a local issue in either our pipes or tank? thinking of getting a senior surveyor in to get to the bottom of the issue

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Need to get into the boiler house to see can you take a picture of your cylinder and cylinder pipework?

 

[anitak]

Need to get into the boiler house to see can you take a picture of your cylinder and cylinder pipework?

wish I could, only one with access to the boiler room is the plumber who refuses to return... By cylinder do you mean to water storage tank + connecting pipework? This is in a airing cupboard in our bathroom

 

[ShaunCorbs]

wish I could, only one with access to the boiler room is the plumber who refuses to return... By cylinder do you mean to water storage tank + connecting pipework? This is in a airing cupboard in our bathroom

Yes where the cylinder is

 

[anitak]

Yes where the cylinder is

I have attached some photo's of the cylinder and surrounding pipework. Just to confirm; there is no sign of any leaks anywhere

 

[Deleted member 120897]

The top pipe off the cylinder is wrong, and there’s no cylinder thermostat (unsure if there should be one on a communal feed), so no way of knowing when it needs to heat or what temperature is being stored.

 

[anitak]

The top pipe off the cylinder is wrong, and there’s no cylinder thermostat (unsure if there should be one on a communal feed), so no way of knowing when it needs to heat or what temperature is being stored.

thanks, it has worked like this for the last 10 years though that's what I don't understand, it just all of a sudden stopped heating up

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Yep there likely to be independently controlled from the plant room

How do you control your heating and do control your hot water eg via time ?

 

[anitak]

Yep there likely to be independently controlled from the plant room

How do you control your heating and do control your hot water eg via time ?

we have no way to control our hot water, heating is 'controlled' by thermostats on the radiators itself i.e. 1-2-3-4-5 setting

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Yea so definitely need to get access/ report it back to building maintenance

 

[Ric2013]

The top pipe off the cylinder is wrong, and there’s no cylinder thermostat (unsure if there should be one on a communal feed), so no way of knowing when it needs to heat or what temperature is being stored.

Top pipe only a bit wrong? Should still work...

 

[Gasmk1]

You could get an-immersion heater fitted