Is the water in your house running slowly through the pipe? Or are you suffering from a water blockage in your home? In most cases, these are some of the common problems we all suffer from at some point in our lives and the most common of them is airlock in pipes. You open the tap and find that the water is not coming out. Water is an essential component of our daily lives. Without water, you cannot complete a lot of household chores. So, when you find that the water in your house is not coming, you immediately start panicking.
Well, there is no point in panicking about no water. All you need to do is to find out why the water is not coming out from the tap. Whenever there is a problem the first thing that you need to do is to find out the primary causes of the problem. Once you figure out the causes, half the battle is won. Similarly, the primary cause of the lack of water from the tap is the airlock in pipes.
There can be various reasons for the airlock in pipes. To figure out the actual cause of this airlock you can rely on the plumber near me. These local plumbers are not just efficient but have the right skill and knowledge about rectifying this airlock. Since many of you are not aware of what an airlock is we have come up with a block on the same. In this blog, we will share with you the various ways by which you can eliminate the problem of airlocks in pipes. Therefore, without further delay, let’s get started with the details of the blog.
What is an airlock in pipes?
When you have an airlock in a pipe a pocket of air gets trapped inside the pipe. This prevents the water from flowing seamlessly and passing out. Generally, such airlocks in the pipe occur at a higher section of the pipe.
When water flows from a high area to a downward area, it has bubbles in it. These bubbles get accumulated together and slowly rise at the top of the pipe. When there is a sudden rise and fall in the level of the pipe, the velocity of the water in it increases. This rise in the velocity of water must always be faster than the rise in the velocity of the bubbles. This mechanism prevents the water bubbles from staying and forming an airlock.
Gradually, the smaller bubbles combine to form large ones. The large water bubbles are so huge that it becomes very difficult for the water to travel through the pipe. As a result, you experience an airlock in the water pipe. Due to these large water bubbles, the water gets less area to flow. As a result, the flow of water becomes slow and sometimes stops.
Causes of airlocks in pipes
You must be wondering what causes these air locks in the pipes. Well, the mechanism of the airlocks inside the pipes is pretty simple. To put it in simple words the airlocks occur when the rising velocity of the air bubbles is much more than the velocity of the water. This lets the water stay in the pipe and restricts it from coming out. However, this restriction occurs due to two primary causes as illustrated below:
Air pockets trapped in the pipe
If you have hot water pipes at home, you will surely face this problem. When the pressure of water in the water tank is too low, it does not push the air blockage from the pipe. Therefore, this obstructs the pipe and prevents the water from flowing seamlessly.
Main water supply issues
If you have a central heating mechanism in the water pipe, it can lead to an airlock. Here, the air gets trapped due to circulating pumps, old storage water tanks, and ballcocks.
If you are noticing such air locks in your pipes frequently you can rely on the plumbers in London. They are efficient and skilled enough to take care of the airlock and help you get rid of them with ease. In addition, the affordability of the plumbers in London makes them attractive to customers.
How to get rid of airlocks in pipes?
You can fix an airlock at home if you know the right method to do so. As promised, we have come up with five different techniques by which you can eliminate an airlock in pipes.
Bleeding radiator system
When you notice that there is an airlock in the water pipe, consider all the radiators in your house bleed off. To do this, you have to first run to the basement and switch off the radiators one after another. Make sure to turn them off sequentially.
After this, close the return valve for safety. Do not forget to count the number of terms it took for your radiator valves to close. Otherwise, opening them can be a big problem. Once you are done, open the radiator valves and restart them one after another.
Opening all faucets at home
Another interesting and easy method to let go of the interactive from the pipe is to open all the faucets in your home at the same time. Although some people may not agree with this method, it creates extra pressure on the pipe which in turn lets go of the airlock. For a more effective treatment, you can also open the shower head along with the faucets of the sink.
If you are trying this process, make sure to be a little patient. This is because you will have to keep the faucets open for some time to let the airlock get resolved. One of the greatest advantages of this process is you do not need any equipment or tool to let go of the airlock.
Use the showerhead method
The shower head method is also an effective process of releasing the airlock from the pipe. Here, you have to remove the shower head and attach three or four plastic bags at the mouth of the shower in place of the shower head. This adds a membrane and rivers the pressure back to the pipe. Due to this extreme pressure, the water automatically gushes out.
Conclusion
Now that you have a clear idea about the ways that you can accommodate to eliminate airlock in pipes, you can start practicing any one of them. In case you are too busy to do such experiments you can rely on professional plumbers in London. Make sure to hire plumbers who are efficient enough to take care of your home maintenance task.
