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By strange co incidence got this from my eldest daughter this evening. Dave is our son in law/her husband.

 

The head observed the teachers last week at Dave’s school. Dave got excellent feedback for his lesson and the head has said the English department are trailblazing for the whole school as they are brilliant. The only issue with that is that ofsted are arriving tomorrow and because of that they will be all over the English department lol. Dave’s getting observed by them 2nd lesson tmoz x x x

 

 

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7 hours ago, Victor Vectis said:

Good luck to him for tomorrow.

 

In order to be rated 'outstanding' by OFSTED all learners not only have to had made progress in the observed lesson but will have to have demonstrated that they have made progress.

I suppose things have changed since I was at school, and not a very good school, half the teachers had done a six month training course at college, and the other half had a degree, but as far as I recall there were only three teachers who actually made any attempt to make their lessons of interest. As soon as The Bell went we were out the door. The worst experience was double maths on a Monday morning. I still cant do maths, though I liked arithmetic, mainly because I got good results in that! Arithmetic has been taken over by calculators, I had a Casio Scientific, though I don't remember what I used it for, anything with pi in the equation, I think.

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  • 4 months later...

I see discussions have drifted a little from narrow boat plumbing, however this still seems like the obvious place to ask my question. I have tracked down my plumbing problem to a ‘restriction/blockage’ between my 800L fresh water tank under the well deck and the inlet to my water pump. (The inlet filter is clean!) That’s a run of pipe work approximately 12” long. As well as eliminating filter blockage, I also can only achieve a trickle of water out of the tank even with the tank cap off, so I imagine I don’t have a vent blockage?

 

So my question is, do any of you chaps have any good ideas how I might clear such a blockage? I have thought about compressed air, but I guess that would only blow any blockage back into the tank?

otherwise I wonder if I’ll be asking a boatyard to chop out my (allegedly stainless) fresh water tank?
 

Many thanks for your kind assistance.

 

 

03C9A63E-1B9E-4F18-8099-6F0E6DC0F0F5.jpeg

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backflush with a hosepipe ? or even use the water pump 'in reverse' to pump water out of a container into the tank. 

 

is there an inspection /access hatch to the tank.  - if so go in there. 

 

those ball valves can give issues if they are cheapies.  the abundance of jointing paste makes me wonder if that could be causing a problem ?  (if there is as much on the inside).   

 

I would remove the level sensor and then try poking a wire or one of those drain cleaner type springy things in to see if there is a blockage, but risk is it the blockage just gets stuck again. Ideally you want to empty the tank and remove everything up to the galvanised elbow and see the outlet is clear...

 

 

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Hi Jonathan, very much appreciated.

 

I’ve no access to the tank other than through the filler neck. I’ve pushed a pencil past the level sensor and there’s no blockage as far as the stopcock/ball valve.

 

I think what you are seeing as jointing paste may be just fluff, as this assembly usually sits inside a small cupboard which I have removed.

 

Quote

even use the water pump 'in reverse' to pump water out of a container into the tank. 

 

Genius! I will give that a try and report back.

 

many thanks.

 

LL

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1 hour ago, Lizzy Lou said:

I see discussions have drifted a little from narrow boat plumbing, however this still seems like the obvious place to ask my question. I have tracked down my plumbing problem to a ‘restriction/blockage’ between my 800L fresh water tank under the well deck and the inlet to my water pump. (The inlet filter is clean!) That’s a run of pipe work approximately 12” long. As well as eliminating filter blockage, I also can only achieve a trickle of water out of the tank even with the tank cap off, so I imagine I don’t have a vent blockage?

 

So my question is, do any of you chaps have any good ideas how I might clear such a blockage? I have thought about compressed air, but I guess that would only blow any blockage back into the tank?

otherwise I wonder if I’ll be asking a boatyard to chop out my (allegedly stainless) fresh water tank?
 

Many thanks for your kind assistance.

 

 

03C9A63E-1B9E-4F18-8099-6F0E6DC0F0F5.jpeg

 

Your picture paints a 1,000 words...

 

I'd say it will turn out to be that galvanised iron M&F elbow connecting directly into the tank. I've seen them turn into a horrible ball of rust inside where the thread has been cut so there is no protective zinc. 

 

I suggest you buy a new elbow and replace it. Either drain the tank first or 'snatch' it (as plumbers say), meaning change it live. The water pressure from the tank water will be tiny. 

 

 

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8 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Your picture paints a 1,000 words...

 

I'd say it will turn out to be that galvanised iron M&F elbow connecting directly into the tank. I've seen them turn into a horrible ball of rust inside where the thread has been cut so there is no protective zinc. 

 

I suggest you buy a new elbow and replace it. Either drain the tank first or 'snatch' it (as plumbers say), meaning change it live. The water pressure from the tank water will be tiny. 

 

 

Agreed. Blockage is most likely on the elbow or at the tank outlet into the elbow. Either way you have to remove the elbow fitting, which probably involves removing the other fittings one by one.

Rather than trying this with the tank full, which will get water everywhere, I would look into draining the water tank first by poking a length of hose pipe down the filler tube to the bottom of the tank and pumping out the water with one of those pumps which can be driven by an electric drill.

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Some very interesting contributions which I really do appreciate. Funnily enough talking of horrible balls of rust, I have noticed that the white plastic elbow in the pipe run is stained a very nice rusty red on the inside! 😳

 

Whilst I am well aware that, all I have really achieved is to blow any blockage back into my water tank, what I can say is that Jonathan’s very clever idea worked a treat. My water flow is (currently) back to normal. For who knows quite how long is of course anyone’s guess!! 🥺

 

Very many thanks to all.

 

For now! 😁

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33 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Rather than trying this with the tank full, which will get water everywhere

 

Point of Order...

 

Down skilfully, snatching a new elbow into that tank with it full, would spill no more than about an eggcup of water on each of the three snatches actually involved. Possibly a good deal less and easily contained with a towel.

 

But it might be a different matter the first three or four times one tries it.

 

No matter how many times one does it though, it always gets the ol' heart a-racing!!

 

 

Edited by MtB
Add a bit.
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11 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Point of Order...

 

Down skilfully, snatching a new elbow into that tank with it full, would spill no more than about an eggcup of water on each of the three snatches actually involved. Possibly a good deal less and easily contained with a towel.

 

But it might be a different matter the first three or four times one tries it.

 

No matter how many times one does it though, it always gets the ol' heart a-racing!!

 

 

I use to drain hot water cylinders, we didn't call them calorifiers by slacking the immersion heater from the flange. You get the same feeling.

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4 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I use to drain hot water cylinders, we didn't call them calorifiers by slacking the immersion heater from the flange. You get the same feeling.

 

Snatching an immersion heater, now that WOULD make one helluva mess!!!

 

As does snatching a mains stopcock. DAMHIK. 

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5 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Its not too bad standing on an open deck of a gas platform with your oilies on

 

 

 

Ok, I'll try it next time I'm standing on an open deck of a gas platform with my oilies on 

 

:D 

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5 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

 

Ok, I'll try it next time I'm standing on an open deck of a gas platform with my oilies on 

 

:D 

It was when we were connecting/disconnecting portable, temporary  living accommodation that sat out on deck when we had big crews onboard

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53 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Point of Order...

 

Down skilfully, snatching a new elbow into that tank with it full, would spill no more than about an eggcup of water on each of the three snatches actually involved. Possibly a good deal less and easily contained with a towel.

 

But it might be a different matter the first three or four times one tries it.

 

No matter how many times one does it though, it always gets the ol' heart a-racing!!

 

 

How is it done with only three wet occasions?  It doesn't look as though the elbow can be swung with the valve attached.

Edited by Tacet
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4 minutes ago, Tacet said:

How is it done with only three wet occasions?  It doesn't look as though the elbow can be swung with the valve attached.

 

Turn the valve OFF, remove the handle.

 

Remove the valve and the nipple as one assembly from the elbow and snatch in a 1/2"BSP plug. That's wet operation 1.

 

Prepare the new elbow by sealing another 1/2"BSP plug into it and applying your choice of thread sealant to the male thread.

 

Unscrew the elbow from the tank and snatch the new elbow into the tank. Wet operation 2 completed. 

 

Clean up the valve nipple and apply new thread sealant.

 

Remove the 1/2" plug from the new elbow and snatch in the valve nipple and valve. 3rd wet op done. 

 

Congratulate yourself on saving three hours emptying and refilling the tank! 

 

 

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1 hour ago, MtB said:

 

Turn the valve OFF, remove the handle.

 

Remove the valve and the nipple as one assembly from the elbow and snatch in a 1/2"BSP plug. That's wet operation 1.

 

Prepare the new elbow by sealing another 1/2"BSP plug into it and applying your choice of thread sealant to the male thread.

 

Unscrew the elbow from the tank and snatch the new elbow into the tank. Wet operation 2 completed. 

 

Clean up the valve nipple and apply new thread sealant.

 

Remove the 1/2" plug from the new elbow and snatch in the valve nipple and valve. 3rd wet op done. 

 

Congratulate yourself on saving three hours emptying and refilling the tank! 

 

 

Or be like my brother in Law removing a radiator to decorate, sit on the floor with your thumb on the end until the other half comes home to pass the bit you dropped.

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13 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Or be like my brother in Law removing a radiator to decorate, sit on the floor with your thumb on the end until the other half comes home to pass the bit you dropped.

And a disposable nappy.🤣

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