Plumbing...

[a l e x]

Following a close escape involving a drill and a pipe in a wall I was prompted to go and find/check our internal stop tap... unsurprisingly it’s completely seized and needs replacing. I went looking outside for the main water stop tap but could only find water covers near the neighbours houses... I then found the water meter hiding in the garage.

There’s a tap either side of the meter... I turn them both off and the water from the tap comes out much slower but still flows... are one of these going to be the main stop tap or are they something else?!

The grey pipe that goes into the bottom tap comes from under the garage floor so I’m thinking that is from the mains? After the meter it goes to a tap in the garage, the washing machine feed and into the house.

There is what looks like a water meter hatch on the garage floor but unhelpfully the idiot we bought the house from relaid the garage floor and appears to have covered part of it...

Nothing surprises me with this place, most of the electrics and plumbing is a bodge job so I need to know I can turn the water off! I’m going to get a plumber to replace the internal stop tap but if one of the taps in the garage is the mains one I’m not sure how he can turn the water off?!

Thanks

 

[mikes48]

If you check the footpath outside your property you may see a small cast-iron lid, about 4-5 inched square, and your main stop-tap could be in there. There would often be one per house.

 

[IronGiant]

If your meter is in the garage it's unlikely that you have an external stop-tap, as they would have dug that up and put the water meter in there. What they will most likely do is freeze the pipe in the garage and replace one or both of the stop-taps there.

 

[a l e x]

Ah didn’t realise they could freeze it. Well, as long as they can add a new one. Any idea why there’s on before and one after the meter though?!

 

[IronGiant]

So they can isolate and change the meter without having to drain the whole house down.

 

[RBZ5416]

The original stopcock may well be under the garage floor but your pic clearly shows isolators either side of the meter. So turning one of those off, both to be on the safe side, should suffice. Easy enough to check.

 

[a l e x]

So they can isolate and change the meter without having to drain the whole house down.

Makes sense!

The original stopcock may well be under the garage floor but your pic clearly shows isolators either side of the meter. So turning one of those off, both to be on the safe side, should suffice. Easy enough to check.

Both turned off and water still flows....!

 

[RBZ5416]

Both turned off and water still flows....!

Sure that was a mains fed tap (cold kitchen) rather than one fed from the water tank?

 

[IronGiant]

Do the above and if they are still letting water by then they probably need new washers (or replacing themselves)

 

[Deleted member 51156]

Just loosen the gland nut, unwind the stop tap a few times, you might find this frees up the spindle, allowing the tap to operate correctly. You might need a spanner to help you shut the tap. Plumbers nightmare working on a property only to find the stop tap either doesn't work or doesn't close correctly..

 

[Cliff]

There’s a tap either side of the meter... I turn them both off and the water from the tap comes out much slower but still flows..

It could be well be that the taps on either side of the water meter need new washers or have seized so you can't close them properly. But also make sure that the water you see that is still flowing slowly is not coming from water in the pipes or your cold loft tank or hot water tank. (if you have them).
If you have a mixer tank in the kitchen, make sure it is moved to the cold side so you are getting the water from the rising main and not from the tank.

 

[Aerojon]

Bit puzzled by the pic as mains water is either black Alkathene or Blue MDPE..there is what looks like black akathene coming out of the floor(to the right) with a reducer to 15mm copper..

 

[its_all_Greek]

That cast iron lid appears to have a couple of screws in it holding it down?

This may be where your main stop tap is to the house, it looks like it may all be exposed beyond dirt etc on the near side. Undo the screws and whack the lid a few times with a hammer, then try to lift it.

 

[Juke]

Just a thought but, if you are turning off the stopcocks ? is the water flow that you are still getting ( downstairs tap ? ) just the cold water feed draining back from upstairs to a downstairs tap. How long are you letting the tap run for ?

If you are turning off both valves either side of the meter does the meter still register a water flow.?

 

[sprout]

@alex

Just a couple of thoughts:

Is that definitely your current water meter? The answer is probably yes but it all looks like a real bodge and I “just” wonder what may be under that cover!! I’ve never seen one be the screw down type and I am wondering if somebody has tried to put a bypass on the meter! Either sharing the flow or being able to valve it in and out.

 

[a l e x]

Bit puzzled by the pic as mains water is either black Alkathene or Blue MDPE..there is what looks like black akathene coming out of the floor(to the right) with a reducer to 15mm copper..

The pipe on the right goes into the house through the wall, not into the floor.

That cast iron lid appears to have a couple of screws in it holding it down?

This may be where your main stop tap is to the house, it looks like it may all be exposed beyond dirt etc on the near side. Undo the screws and whack the lid a few times with a hammer, then try to lift it.

Will give it a go!

Just a thought but, if you are turning off the stopcocks ? is the water flow that you are still getting ( downstairs tap ? ) just the cold water feed draining back from upstairs to a downstairs tap. How long are you letting the tap run for ?

If you are turning off both valves either side of the meter does the meter still register a water flow.?

Leaving the kitchen tap to run for a while and it still flows. I’ll check EE the meter running.

@alex

Just a couple of thoughts:

Is that definitely your current water meter? The answer is probably yes but it all looks like a real bodge and I “just” wonder what may be under that cover!! I’ve never seen one be the screw down type and I am wondering if somebody has tried to put a bypass on the meter! Either sharing the flow or being able to valve it in and out.

It appears to be the meter. The water company were happy with the reading I gave to it must match to old readings. I queried with them where the meter was and they said it was on the garage wall so matches up. Nothing would surprise me though. I’ve had to rewire the garage and replace most lights as the bloke who lived here before us had bodged everything!



Thank you all for your help. I’ve got a plumber coming tomorrow morning so quote for new radiators so I’m going to ask him to have a look, explain what the hell is going on and replace what needs replacing!!

 

[sprout]

Thank you all for your help. I’ve got a plumber coming tomorrow morning so quote for new radiators so I’m going to ask him to have a look, explain what the hell is going on and replace what needs replacing!!

@alex

Let us know what he thought