"Chris Hogg" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:57:30 +0000, Andy Burns
wrote:

Chris Hogg wrote:

We get this after the water company has been doing work on the mains
supply pipes. Air gets into the pipes when they open them up, and when
re-connected the air is trapped in the pipe (we're at the end of a
mile-long uphill stub, which tends to empty when the main is opened
and doesn't get flushed when they re-connect).

There should be a "wash-out" at the end of such runs to allow the water
company to flush the system.

If such exists, it's not used. But I doubt its existence; we're right
out in the country. Whenever the water 'goes off', we can expect an
hour or so of explosive spluttering and coughing from the cold taps as
the air is forced out under pressure. I sometimes fear for the joints
in the pipes, it can be so violent; the 'rigid' mixer tap in the
kitchen (i.e. not one on a flexible hose) physically recoils! We tend
to flush the loos repeatedly to clear the air, as it seems to be less
violent to do it that way. It also gets rid of any discoloured water.

--

Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

If the toilet ball valves are plastic they could get damaged!

I wonder if the Water Company should be made aware and whether they could
fit some form of automatic air separator?