Hi, I have just changed all the taps in my bathroom, the basin ones and the two free standing taps on the bath for a mixer style with a shower head.

Before the tap replacement - I turned off the water supply (downstairs stop valve) and the tap down stairs went off, I then went into the loft and turned off three valves (two from the cold water storage tank and 1 feeding another smaller - header ? tank). Both taps downstairs now don't flow, hot in the bathroom doesn't but the cold upstairs took ages to drain the cold water tank - which drained and didn't refill.

After the tap replacement, I turned on all 4 valves. Downstairs hot and cold are running fine. Upstairs hot is running fine, cold at the start was non-existent. I left the cold water storage tank to refill, which it did, now the cold water tap runs quickly for a second, then really slowly until it almost stops. If I turn the cold water tap on, the toilet cistern stops filling, when I turn it off it starts again - very slowly. The bath mixer cold does the same, quick, slow, trickle, stop. How can I fix this and what do you think had happened?

Thank you for all your help.

Andrew Ross, September 2009

Air lock which is common when draining the main storage tank you needn't of turned of the very small tank as that sounds like the boiler header tank. The way to clear air is to turn off the heat source to your hot taps allow water to cool off or take a chance with the following with hot. connect the hot and cold taps in the basin toether open both taps the hot will travel up to the tank blowing air out as it goes then turn off both taps remove the hose then turn cold on it should splutter a bit then run free and fast. Hope it helps that's how i did mine.

Bob, September 2009