How Do I clear an Air Lock?

If your shower struggles to produce water (especially hot water) and spits or splutters in use, the most common cause is an air lock. Air locks occur on gravity water systems, normally within the pipe-work of the hot supply. Airlocks can develop over time or occur all of a sudden. You may find that the air lock only affects the shower and all your other appliances are fine - this would be because the shower has its own dedicated water supplies and the restriction has developed within this pipe-work.

Please follow the steps below to clear the air from the pipe work:

• Remove the shower head from the end of the flexible hose or in the case of a fixed head, remove the head from the arm.
• Start the shower on the coldest setting, slowly turn the temperature dial towards hot.
• If at any point the shower begins to spit or splutter then stop turning the dial and wait for the air to clear before continuing towards the hot. To ensure the process is as effective as possible, the cold to hot motion should take a minute or so.

You may need to repeat this process a few times to clear the air entirely but afterwards the hot and cold flow should be the same.
Whatever the root cause may be, airlocks are never caused by a product fault. If you find you have recurring air locks you may need to consult a plumber, or if the air will not clear and the flow continues to splutter then you may be experiencing cavitation, draw down or possibly an air leak...

WHAT IS CAVITATION?

Cavitation refers to air bubbles which are being released into the pipe-work. This is normally caused by the hot water temperature being set too high - we advise that it is set to no higher than 65ºC.

WHAT IS DRAW-DOWN?

Draw down occurs when there are restrictions in the shower's hot and cold supplies, such as a build up of scale. When the shower is in use, these restrictions can cause air to be sucked air down the open vent pipe. The open vent pipe is the pipe which rises from the top of the hot water cylinder and hangs over the cold water tank. There is a simple method of testing for draw-down, you simply run the shower and then hold a glass of water up to the end of the open vent pipe. If the water is sucked down the pipe then draw-down is occurring. Draw down is not a product fault - please contact a plumber for assistance.

WHAT IS AN AIR LEAK?

An air leak refers to a leak somewhere on the supply to the shower. Whilst the shower is in use, air is sucked in through this gap. If you think you are experiencing this, please contact your plumber.

Flow spluttering is commonly due to an air lock, especially if your shower is fitted on a gravity water system.