Very little water coming from the cold tap in my bath?

John,
With the help of my brother-in-law we managed to get the mixer taps off without flooding the bathroom. We took out the suspect washer and went to B&Q. They were very helpful but they didn't have the right washer, so I'm off to a specialist Plumbing shop tomorrow.
Will let you know how I get on...
Bob

Bob
May 2009

Hi Bob
The large loft tank supplies the copper cylinder that stores your hot water, and also any cold water gravity outlets (taps or shower) that you may have. This should always be full - and it is kept that way by the ball valve. the smaller tank is the boiler flow and expansion tank (F&E) and that should have about 4" of water in it - and this won't vary at all. The noise you hear could be the large tank ball valve showing its age a bit, but so long as it keeps the tank full it is doing its job. The noise could also be 'water hammer' - the pipes clang when the valve shuts off due to them not being adequately clipped to the woodwork. The banging and tap problem is coincidental, I think. There is a possibility that the tank outlet connection could be furred up with limescale however - reducing the flow - but I would have expected this to show up at the hot tap too. Cheers John

John
May 2009

John,
Thanks for the quick reply. The very large tank in the loft is full and the water is just below the overflow hole. I assume that is what you are talking about.
There is a very small tank nearby, situated between the rafters. I have been unable to check that one due to disabilty problems (knees !).
But, I wonder, is the loud banging in the attic and the lack of cold water from the bath tap connected?
Cheers
Bob

Bob
May 2009

If your bath tap is gravity fed, from that tank in the loft, the pressure should be the same as the hot - presuming the tank is full of course! If the bath tap is fed at mains pressure the flow should be much stronger than the hot. So, you could have a washer problem in the tap - maybe its swollen and blocking the flow, or you could have a slight air lock, but I doubt that one.

John
May 2009