“Then you use the old plumber’s trick,” Leo said. He turned off both taps. Then he stuffed a wet rag firmly into the kitchen tap spout, sealing it as best he could.
Higgins shrugged.
An airlock happens when a pocket of air gets trapped at a high point in a pipe, usually after you’ve drained the system to fix a leak or turn off the mains. how to unblock an airlock in water system
“Simple physics,” Leo grinned. “Cold water pressure is usually 3 or 4 bar. Your gravity-fed hot water tank is only 0.5 bar. The cold water just bulldozes the air bubble back where it came from.”
Turn on the hot tap first, then turn on the cold mains tap fully. “Then you use the old plumber’s trick,” Leo said
Small leaks can allow air to seep into the pipes over time.
Leo grabbed a short length of garden hose and a pair of washing machine connectors. “We need a bridge,” he said. Higgins shrugged
There is a specific, maddening sound that haunts the dreams of homeowners. It isn’t a creaky floorboard or a rattling window. It is the choking, spluttering gasp of a tap that refuses to do its job.