Higgins did. The water had nowhere to go because the rag was blocking the spout. It couldn’t flow out, so it did the only thing it could: it flowed backwards down the hot water pipe, pushing the airlock all the way back to the tank.
Old Man Higgins lived in a crooked cottage at the end of Puddledown Lane. One morning, he turned on his kitchen tap, and instead of a healthy rush of water, he got a pathetic sputter, a deep gurgle , and then nothing but a sad sigh of air.
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
His grandson, Leo, who was visiting for the summer, poked his head under the sink. “It’s an airlock, Grandpa,” he announced. “A big bubble of air is stuck in the hot water pipe. It’s like a cork in a bottle. The water from the tank can’t push past it.”
“But what if you don’t have a hose, Grandpa?” Leo asked. Higgins did
“Now,” he said, “turn on the HOT tap first. Then, slowly, turn on the COLD tap.”
“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. Old Man Higgins lived in a crooked cottage
Leo grabbed a short length of garden hose and a pair of washing machine connectors. “We need a bridge,” he said.