Can anybody help please?  This morning I changed two tap washers (kithen and 
bathroom sink).  In order to do the bathroom one (hot) I had to turn off the 
hot water header tank feed to the immersion heater tank.  This was very 
tight and in the end I resorted to removing the Red handle and using a 
spanner on the square section of spindle.  Changed the tap washers and went 
to turn on the feed to the cylinder.  The handle just turned and turned.  I 
removed the centre spindle assembly from the gate valve only to find the 
inner screw was mashed and the gate valve was stuck shut  "Oh well I 
thought, never mind I feel a trip to the PM's coming on"  Off I trot and get 
a replacement 22mm gate valve and return home to fit it.  I syphoned off the 
header tank in the loft, replaced the gate valve and refilled the header 
tank.  My problem is now no hot water flows from ANY hot tap, all cold taps 
are fine.  I think I have an airlock somewhere but cannot seem to shift it. 
I have heard of connecting the cold tap to the hot tap and try to blast it 
out.  I tried this but as I only had a hosepipe I couldn't get it over the 
tap spouts or hold it tight enough to stop the water spurting out.  If it 
helps with anything my taps are: a monobloc mixer in the kitchen, pillar 
taps in the cloakroom, bath and bathroom sink, I tried the hosepipe trick on 
the bath taps.  Is there a knack to this or do I need to connect certain 
taps together.  I live in a normal 2 storey house and nothing else was shut 
off whist changing the tap washers.  Memo to myself  Put isolators on the 
tap tails when I do the bathroom and kitchen!

Any help or advise greatly appreciated.

John

Try connecting the cold of the washing machine hose to the hot and give it a
blast for a few seconds - this works for me every time !


"John"  wrote in message
news:dghb31$hek$1@nwrdmz02.dmz.ncs.ea.ibs-infra.bt.com...

> Can anybody help please?  This morning I changed two tap washers (kithen
and
> bathroom sink).  In order to do the bathroom one (hot) I had to turn off
the
> hot water header tank feed to the immersion heater tank.  This was very
> tight and in the end I resorted to removing the Red handle and using a
> spanner on the square section of spindle.  Changed the tap washers and
went
> to turn on the feed to the cylinder.  The handle just turned and turned.
I
> removed the centre spindle assembly from the gate valve only to find the
> inner screw was mashed and the gate valve was stuck shut  "Oh well I
> thought, never mind I feel a trip to the PM's coming on"  Off I trot and
get
> a replacement 22mm gate valve and return home to fit it.  I syphoned off
the
> header tank in the loft, replaced the gate valve and refilled the header
> tank.  My problem is now no hot water flows from ANY hot tap, all cold
taps
> are fine.  I think I have an airlock somewhere but cannot seem to shift
it.
> I have heard of connecting the cold tap to the hot tap and try to blast it
> out.  I tried this but as I only had a hosepipe I couldn't get it over the
> tap spouts or hold it tight enough to stop the water spurting out.  If it
> helps with anything my taps are: a monobloc mixer in the kitchen, pillar
> taps in the cloakroom, bath and bathroom sink, I tried the hosepipe trick
on
> the bath taps.  Is there a knack to this or do I need to connect certain
> taps together.  I live in a normal 2 storey house and nothing else was
shut
> off whist changing the tap washers.  Memo to myself  Put isolators on the
> tap tails when I do the bathroom and kitchen!
>
> Any help or advise greatly appreciated.
>
> John
>
>

OP here.  Thanks for the reply but I have now sorted it.  In frustration I 
was going to remove the gate valve I had replaced and make sure water was 
flowing from the header tank.  As I started to GINGERLY undo one of the nuts 
there was a rush of air and the bath tap started flowing.so I presume the 
airlock was in the pipe from the header tank to the gate valve but why 
didn't it fill with water when I allowed the header tank to refil?  Who 
knows but I'll remember that one next time.

Thanks

John
"bob"  wrote in message 
news:432c3eac$0$17506$ed2e19e4@ptn-nntp-reader04.plus.net...

> Try connecting the cold of the washing machine hose to the hot and give it 
> a
> blast for a few seconds - this works for me every time !
>
>
> "John"  wrote in message
> news:dghb31$hek$1@nwrdmz02.dmz.ncs.ea.ibs-infra.bt.com...
>> Can anybody help please?  This morning I changed two tap washers (kithen
> and
>> bathroom sink).  In order to do the bathroom one (hot) I had to turn off
> the
>> hot water header tank feed to the immersion heater tank.  This was very
>> tight and in the end I resorted to removing the Red handle and using a
>> spanner on the square section of spindle.  Changed the tap washers and
> went
>> to turn on the feed to the cylinder.  The handle just turned and turned.
> I
>> removed the centre spindle assembly from the gate valve only to find the
>> inner screw was mashed and the gate valve was stuck shut  "Oh well I
>> thought, never mind I feel a trip to the PM's coming on"  Off I trot and
> get
>> a replacement 22mm gate valve and return home to fit it.  I syphoned off
> the
>> header tank in the loft, replaced the gate valve and refilled the header
>> tank.  My problem is now no hot water flows from ANY hot tap, all cold
> taps
>> are fine.  I think I have an airlock somewhere but cannot seem to shift
> it.
>> I have heard of connecting the cold tap to the hot tap and try to blast 
>> it
>> out.  I tried this but as I only had a hosepipe I couldn't get it over 
>> the
>> tap spouts or hold it tight enough to stop the water spurting out.  If it
>> helps with anything my taps are: a monobloc mixer in the kitchen, pillar
>> taps in the cloakroom, bath and bathroom sink, I tried the hosepipe trick
> on
>> the bath taps.  Is there a knack to this or do I need to connect certain
>> taps together.  I live in a normal 2 storey house and nothing else was
> shut
>> off whist changing the tap washers.  Memo to myself  Put isolators on the
>> tap tails when I do the bathroom and kitchen!
>>
>> Any help or advise greatly appreciated.
>>
>> John
>>
>>
>
>