external Stopcock problem.

[Leight]

Hi about 2 weeks ago my cold water supply pressure dropped and i thought little of it due to the cold snap of weather, but then a few days later it dropped further, so much that my combi boiler would not come on when operating the hot tap. i went to the stopcock in the garden in the ground and using the stopcock key i fully closed the tap then fully opened it, then the pressure was ok good as new, this lasted for about 3 days then it dropped very low again, i wondered if it may be frozen up but there is water that sits around the tap and this was not and is not frozen so i assumed it the tap would not be frozen, but just to make sure i poured a kettle full of boiling water down there and left if for 10 mins but the pressure was still low. I then opereated the stop cock again, but this time i only turned it 180 deg and back again, i checked my water and the pressure was fully restored, this has happened about 10 times since sometimes twice a day and when ever it happens i just do a half turn of the stop cock and back again and it restores the pressure.

i am of the undersatanding the the supply to the stopcock from the street main is lead but the pipe into my house is copper. does any one have any ideas?

many thanks

 

[theheatinghelper]

it could be somewhere down the water line your water provider are doing works on it and pieces of grit are slowly blocking the main. As your doing and undoing the stop cock, it is freeing the muck. if the stop cock is on your property then they wont rush to replace the stop cock. but if its in the street you might have better luck, give them a call to see what they recommend.!

 

[Leight]

yeah i did think it might be dirt or a small stone in the way, but i have tried running the water into a jug when i first operate the stop cock to check for debris but it is clear, though they did work on the water about 6 months ago and when the supply was first restored it looked like mud comming out of the tap.

i didnt know if the tap had partially failed inside but it does completely turn off the water if fully closed so i dont under stand.

if it is debris in the pipe then i guess it would be down to them to fix but if it is the tap that is at fault and they fix it i guess i will recive a huge bill for the repair.

 

[theheatinghelper]

if its a stop cock on your property then there could be one also in the street for maintainance purposes. If there is then you might be able to shut the one off it the street and replace the one on your property, if there is not one in the street and the only one is on your property then i would report it to the supplier and say that it needs to be replaced and see what they come up with !!

 

[Leight]

Hi thanks for your replies, much apreciated.

yes there is a stop cock in the street its a couple of doors down and although ive never operated it i was told that it is for my houes and a few other houses, and my responsibility is from the street stopcock which makes my garden stopcock my responsibility unless its caused by debris coming down the supply, i am just struggling to undersatnd how half a turn of the stopcock can restore my pressure.

also if the pipe is lead as im told do i have to replace the lead pipe back to the street?

 

[picasso]

more likely to be a swollen washer in the valve, as you close the valve, the washer compresses but starts to expand as soon as you open it slowing down the flow,

it would be straight forward to freeze and replace if you have access.

 

[Alfie25]

i wondered if it may be frozen up but there is water that sits around the tap and this was not and is not frozen so i assumed it the tap would not be frozen

I know this is an old thread, but I've a query around the point raised above by the OP.

I lifted my external stopcock cover for the first time and there's also water surrounding the stopcock tap (water level is just below the tap head). Should there be water in there??? I bailed it out with a sponge, but it came back within a couple of hours. Seemed to reach a level and then stop, so i'm confused. If it was a leak then surely the water would slowly keep rising? It can't be surface water as it didn't rain at all in time it took for the water to slowly fill back up. Any ideas?

 

[Burnerman]

The water table is so high at the moment the water you see is probably just that.....I have the same, and I bailed mine out with a wet vac.
I couldn't see or hear any leakage from the tap so basically forgot about it!
Its a great move to keep the stopcock clear and working...usually they are the 1/2 turn types, operated by a Toby key that fits over the rectangular head.
John

 

[Alfie25]

Burnerman - you're saying it's just ground water - in other words if I dug a hole in my garden the same depth you think I'd also hit water at the same level?

I take it there's no 'bottom' to the manhole then - in other words the metal supply pipe is just buried in the soil/clay and the manhole is just like a pipe down to the stopcock, with no base to it, thus allowing water in from the ground?

Also - should there be some insulation in there? If my stopcock is surrounded by water and the temperature drops below freezing (which it is expected to this weekend), won't the freezing water round the stopcock potentially cause a problem?

 

[Burnerman]

Thats the impression I have, but of course we can't be absolutely sure your stopcock has no leak....you could try to unearth a bit more of it, so you can feel all the way round. Again, a wet vac has dividends here.
The access hatch is just that - usually a brick tunnel which periodically gets blocked up with earth, stones and other debris.
As the stopcock should be at least 18" below ground, the chances of it freezing are very slight indeed (when was the last time you saw your drain gullies frozen, for example).
Its a good move though to clear the debris away, and pack the brick tunnel shaft with a polythene sack or similar so it remains clear for the future.
If you buy yourself a Toby key, you can check the operation of the thing and so be able to isolate your house if there's a disaster inside.
Please be aware though, in some circumstances these stopcocks are shared with an other property.
John

 

[Alfie25]

Thanks again John. The tap is about a foot and a half deep. Good point about the drain gullies not freezing over. It's not a brick tunnel - seems to be a cylinder of plastic.

I've cleared away as much debris as my arm will reach (small arms!) and its a brass tap, same as what the internal stopcock is like so I can turn it by hand. Wouldn't need a tool would I? Do you mean something like this?

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Han...lti+Purpose+Stop+Cock+Key+1m/d10/sd210/p71932

 

[Burnerman]

Yep thats the one - some of these 'universal' tools aren't as clever as they claim to be though!
Remember, its a quarter turn from off to on.
John