No water

[EnglishRose]

We drained our water bladder type tank in Autumn and have just come to fill it up again and we can't get water coming through our taps. You can hear the pump but no water is coming through. Any suggestions?

[philjw]

Stop cock turned on?

[EnglishRose]

Just now, philjw said:

Stop cock turned on?

Yep

[rusty69]

Open a tap and suck.

 

Clean pump strainer.

 

Make sure tank to pump stop cock is open.

[EnglishRose]

I can feel air from the tap - just no water!

[rusty69]

Make sure breather, if there is one is clear.

Try turning on a different tap.

 

 

 

 

 

[EnglishRose]

Nothing from shower or kitchen tap (that's the only two options). Could it be an air lock?

 

Sorry idiot question but what's a breather?

[rusty69]

Just now, EnglishRose said:

Nothing from shower or kitchen tap (that's the only two options). Could it be an air lock?

 

Sorry idiot question but what's a breather?

If its a bladder type tank, it should have either an overflow, and or a breather tube to allow water out when its full, and air in/out.

 

Have you got a photo of it?

[David Mack]

Are you sure the tank is full? Did you leave the hose running until water came out of the overflow pipe (aka the breather)?

[ditchcrawler]

Maybe the bladder collapsed on the outlet and has a fold in it

[rusty69]

Could crack the pump outlet connection slightly with copious amount of towels around and see if water comes out.

6 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Maybe the bladder collapsed on the outlet and has a fold in it

Maybe the tank has gone brittle, cracked and is leaking water into the bilge.😦

Maybe I should shut up. I'm not helping much.☹️

Edited May 20, 2023 by rusty69

[ditchcrawler]

56 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Could crack the pump outlet connection slightly with copious amount of towels around and see if water comes out.

Maybe the tank has gone brittle, cracked and is leaking water into the bilge.😦

Maybe I should shut up. I'm not helping much.☹️

I think LACK of water coming out is the problem not copious amounts 

[rusty69]

Just now, ditchcrawler said:

I think LACK of water coming out is the problem not copious amounts 

Yes, but the water is not coming out of the tap. I was suggesting an alternative path for it to flow. 

[Chewbacka]

1 hour ago, EnglishRose said:

I can feel air from the tap - just no water!

If the pump is pumping air then the tank outlet pipe is above the water level in the tank.  Possible reasons -

1.  Tank nearly empty 

2.  As it’s a bladder tank it might have twisted so the outlet is too high

3.  The tank is below the pump and the pipe between tank and pump has a leak such that the pump is sucking air which is easier than sucking water (which is heavy) out of the tank.

 

without more information we can only guess

[Arthur Marshall]

Some pumps have a problem self priming. If you take the tank supply off the pump, does any water trickle out? If not, try to suck some up to the end and whack it back on the pump. If you can't do that, pour water down it to try and get it full.

If there's water at the pump but not the tap, it's going somewhere it didn't oughter.

[EnglishRose]

Pics attached. We are going to try and look into the issue tomorrow. The bladder is full.

 

 

Edited May 20, 2023 by EnglishRose

[David Mack]

Is that outlet on the top of the bladder?

[Tracy D'arth]

I wonder what the pencilled arrow on the tank signifies.

[EnglishRose]

 

13 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Is that outlet on the top of the bladder?

 

13 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Is that outlet on the top of the bladder?

That leads to the pump.

 

6 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

I wonder what the pencilled arrow on the tank signifies.

No idea but it had a recently fitted new water bladder when we bought it and we had all the receipts from the marina. It's worked fine previously until today! 

 

https://www.kapwing.com/videos/646934ff8cc3d6001f0b4f37

 

This is the sound the pump makes (edit just realized no sound 😕 on video, I'll redo it tomorrow).

 

No evidence of any leak that we can see. Pipes run under seats and are easy accessible as all our storage is under the seats (no fixed bed) and we have had them all up and can't see any water. Just been out with torches and looked and felt all round bladder and no water we can see.

Edited May 20, 2023 by EnglishRose

[ditchcrawler]

15 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Is that outlet on the top of the bladder?

If so it could be a big air bubble 

[EnglishRose]

13 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

If so it could be a big air bubble 

 

That might make sense. How to get rid of a big air bubble?

11 minutes ago, EnglishRose said:

 

That might make sense. How to get rid of a big air bubble?

 

I can recall we had an air bubble previously, though I can't remember how we got rid of it!

 

Ah  I remember . . 

So we had a different tap last time we had an air lock and I ran the hot water one (engine heats hot water), put my palm of hand against tap and turned the cold on slowly. I'll try that tomorrow before going down the route of taking things apart!

Edited May 20, 2023 by EnglishRose

[ditchcrawler]

10 minutes ago, EnglishRose said:

 

That might make sense. How to get rid of a big air bubble?

 

I can recall we had an air bubble previously, though I can't remember how we got rid of it!

I would turn off that tap on top of the bladder and get someone to remove the hose from the pump, then slowly open the tap again until water came out near the pump.. Of course I have no idea what your access is like and if that is possible

[EnglishRose]

5 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I would turn off that tap on top of the bladder and get someone to remove the hose from the pump, then slowly open the tap again until water came out near the pump.. Of course I have no idea what your access is like and if that is possible

 

Ah  I remember . . 

So we had a different tap last time we had an air lock and I ran the hot water one (engine heats hot water), put my palm of hand against tap and turned the cold on slowly. I'll try that tomorrow before going down the route of taking things apart (although last time we didn't have a mixer tap)!

 

Access is no issue but let me try the other option first!

Edited May 20, 2023 by EnglishRose

[MtB]

41 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Is that outlet on the top of the bladder?

 

And...

 

4 hours ago, EnglishRose said:

I can feel air from the tap - just no water!

 

Not everyone realises but most water pumps will happily pump fresh air along the pipes if that is what the pump is being supplied with.

 

So give the OP can actually feel air coming from an open tap, I suggest it is pumping fresh air out of the top of the tank, and if the tap is left open and the pump left to run for mayber ten or fifteen minutes, the air in the top of the tank will all get pumped out and water will reach the outlet elbow as the tank slowly collapses, and then water will come from the taps too. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

9 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Not everyone realises but most water pumps will happily pump fresh air along the pipes if that is what the pump is being supplied with.

 

 

 

 

 

Mine will, that is how I help clear the water for winter draindown, build up a bit of air pressure and blast the tap/pipe out