Loss of water to toilet cistern

[Hawkgirl]

Suddenly my downstairs toilet stopped filling this week, I suspected a blockage in the filter or cistern itself, however after removal of everything it appears that there is no water coming in, its mains fed and no sign of leak anywhere , we have checked the isolation valve and its not faulty, the pipe below has this connector on it? can anyone advise, there also seems to be a similar fitting on the pipe as it disappears into the wall. Both me and my plumber are flummoxed! Could it be blocked? have used a vaccum on it .. any ideas very welcome, all other taps etc in the house are fine, which is why it seems very odd.

 

[Ben-gee]

That picture is just a straight pushfit connector, brand- Osmagold- it is unlikely to be blocked.

 

[Ben-gee]

Are you saying the plumber removed the inlet valve and no water came through the plain copper pipe feeding it?

 

[Hawkgirl]

Are you saying the plumber removed the inlet valve and no water came through the plain copper pipe feeding it?

Yes thats correct, no water in the feed!

 

[Hawkgirl]

That picture is just a straight pushfit connector, brand- Osmagold- it is unlikely to be blocked.

Thanks I assumed that to be the case but just wanted to check it wasnt some strange fitting

 

[Ben-gee]

Seems odd!
You say you’ve checked the isolation valve (not pictured) , if you crack open the nut on the live side of the isolation valve does no water come out?

There must be another isolation valve further downstream- you say it suddenly stopped filling - have you had any work done in the house recently, even unrelated to plumbing, someone may have turned off a valve.

Maybe to an outside tap to overwinter it? I have seen these plumbed incorrectly such that they can’t be isolated independently.

 

[Hawkgirl]

Seems odd!
You say you’ve checked the isolation valve (not pictured) , if you crack open the nut on the live side of the isolation valve does no water come out?

There must be another isolation valve further downstream- you say it suddenly stopped filling - have you had any work done in the house recently, even unrelated to plumbing, someone may have turned off a valve.

Maybe to an outside tap to overwinter it? I have seen these plumbed incorrectly such that they can’t be isolated independently.

This is what is so odd, my plumber came yesterday expecting a quick fix and was very suprised to find no water in the pipe, he asked all the same questions, but we havnt changed a thing and my outside tap is still on and working a i use it daily for animal care. The only conclusion we have come to is debris in the pipe, it could have been getting blocked over time and we didnt notice as its just a loo filling you dont see the flow but it does seem extremely unlikely. Heres a pic of all the pipework that is visible,

 

[Chuck]

A long shot, but if the house is plumbed in plastic, maybe a section that was bent around a tight corner or kinked has decided its time to collapse further.

 

[Hawkgirl]

A long shot, but if the house is plumbed in plastic, maybe a section that was bent around a tight corner or kinked has decided its time to collapse further.

Thanks thats a good point, I believe it is plumbed in plastic, house was built around 2000, my brother thought this might be an answer, my concern is that it will crack and eventually burst wherever it is!!( is this likely??) My plumber as suggested capping it and putting in a new supply from the nearby utility which solves the problem but is always going to worry me! however without taking the wall down and tracing the pipe i guess i dont have a load of other options.

 

[Chuck]

My plumber as suggested capping it and putting in a new supply from the nearby utility which solves the problem but is always going to worry me!

Another issue, it's bad practice to cap pipes in this manner without also isolating them from the supply at the other end. This is because you create a 'blind' section of stagnant water that can act as a source of infection.

One trick that sometimes helps is to feed an electrician's fish tape into the plastic pipe and then use a pipe finder to trace its path. A borescope can be helpful too as it allows you to look inside cavities through a relatively small holes so that making good is a job for a decorator rather than a builder.

 

[Hawkgirl]

Another issue, it's bad practice to cap pipes in this manner without also isolating them from the supply at the other end. This is because you create a 'blind' section of stagnant water that can act as a source of infection.

One trick that sometimes helps is to feed an electrician's fish tape into the plastic pipe and then use a pipe finder to trace its path. A borescope can be helpful too as it allows you to look inside cavities through a relatively small holes so that making good is a job for a decorator rather than a builder.

Thanks Chuck, I hadn't thought of the water sitting in the pipe, The ideas you have mentioned are all great and something I can be working on, we could get lucky and the issue could be right near the loo my worry is that is in the wall behind the very expensive kitchen units put in last year, one does wonder whether they have managed to do something to a pipe in the wall during the fitting?? whatever way its going to be costing me a few quid to get sorted which all having only been in just over a year I could do without! Many thanks for your ideas! I will order a borescope, it looks to be a useful bit of kit to have anyway.

 

[Hawkgirl]

Another issue, it's bad practice to cap pipes in this manner without also isolating them from the supply at the other end. This is because you create a 'blind' section of stagnant water that can act as a source of infection.

One trick that sometimes helps is to feed an electrician's fish tape into the plastic pipe and then use a pipe finder to trace its path. A borescope can be helpful too as it allows you to look inside cavities through a relatively small holes so that making good is a job for a decorator rather than a builder.

Hi Chuck, I had a really helpful young plumber round today and we discovered there there is a plastic cap of some kind blocking the pipe completely, it must have been in there since the house was built 20 years ago and reduced the flow on the pipe but we had never noticed till now when it must have moved and got wedged on one of the joints. It may have done us a favour in a way as the installer of the loo last year managed to put a screw through the pipe as well so if it had been at mains pressure we would have had a leak which could have done some serious damage. Its not repaired yet but at leas we know why there is no water and we have a plan to resolve. Was lovely to have a young person with great skills and a keenness to get it sorted which is more than can be said for the original installer and was the one who put the screw through the pipe!

 

[Chuck]

Hi Chuck, I had a really helpful young plumber round today and we discovered there there is a plastic cap of some kind blocking the pipe completely...

Good, keep a note of his number!