One thing leads to another ! Now stop cock trouble ....

[timmy toad]

Hi again lads and lasses, following on from another post of mine, i have now got a new pair of cartridges for my bath taps .... So far so good eh
However, No Way can i turn off the stop cock in the airing cupboard, it only turns barely a quarter of turn and that is with great effort, it feels as if the washer has come off and turned sideways !
So the next job i need to do is to fit a new stop cock, fortunately the stop cock coming up through the floor in the kitchen is ok.
So am I correct in thinking that i should be able to do this little job myself ?
I believe i have to turn off the water downstairs, then up in the loft to secure the ball cock shut on the big water tank up there and then drain all the water out of the cold water tank and all the pipes.
Then and only then will i be able to remove the crap stop cock in the airing cupboard and of course not forgetting to change the cold bath tap cartridge LOL
after all that i should bloody hope i will get some brownie points, from the missus,e specially if i also get a pair of new longer tap levers !

Tim

 

[Terry lambert]

Try spraying I with wd40 over. Couple of hours and keep worrying the valve.

That should do the trick

 

[Agile]

Do it early in the week so if you have to call for professional help its not at the weekend!

 

[Schmill]

...and perhaps consider fitting a pair of iso valves prior to the taps.
I ALWAYS welcome the sight of a nice pair of iso valves to shut off the supply to 'just' the taps / outlet that I am working on, rather than having to stop ALL the water to the house, (and believe me, the other people in the house will be thankful too!)

 

[Terry lambert]

If your going to fit iso valves, fit full bore lever ones under the bath.

Slotted ones can weep with use and normal isolators will restrict your flow

 

[Schmill]

If your going to fit iso valves, fit full bore lever ones under the bath.

Slotted ones can weep with use and normal isolators will restrict your flow

I didn't know that about the slotted ones?
Must admit I've used slotted full-bore so as not to restrict the flow, (and the space would have been pretty cramped for lever valves) but I'll keep an eye on them

 

[Terry lambert]

If space is restricted you can take the handles off and put them somewhere safe, in my experience, never to be seen again, you can't get safer than that

 

[timmy toad]

Sorry about that chaps, i had omitted to ask for notifications.

I was hoping to do this on the cheap, WITHOUT getting a plumber in, the Stop Cock is most definitely Stuck solid, dam.

so i wont be in a position to do it by the book and put extra valves in here and there, all i want to do, is undo the nuts either side of the stop cock and put a new one in, i probably have some PTFE tape to help keep the nuts from leaking LOL.

So i am simply after some reassurance about how to cut off the supply of water to this dammed stop cock
the stopcock and the bath are upstairs, is it easiest to simply get in the loft and stop more water getting in the tank by pulling the ball cock UP and drain the water out of the tank by turning all the upstairs cold taps ON.
OR is it easiest and sufficient to ONLY turn off the Water supply under the kitchen sink downstairs where the water comes into the house !?

Tim

 

[Terry lambert]

Is the stop cock on the rising main to the cold tank?

If so, turn it off downstairs and drain the tank or bung the outlets on the tank.

Are there gate valves next to the tank?

Is the cold tank feeding both hot and cold water or is your cold on mains?and hot on tank.

Too many variations, just turn it off downstairs and drain via the taps

 

[timmy toad]

thanks terry.

your last line seems favourite .

yeah the crap stop cock is on the rising main.

I havent any extra valves near the the stop cock, the only part of the airing cupboard that is up to date, is on Central Heating side like the 3 way valve and the pump they have both got valves either side.

As far as i know the Cold Water is on the mains and the Hot water comes from the cylinder in the airing cupboard.

tim

 

[Terry lambert]

Glad we got that clear.

Turn the main off downstairs, normally a gate valve on the outlet by the cold water tank or next to the hot water cylinder to isolate that. Or drain tank. ( cold water) by opening taps


Change taps, marital bliss is yours once again

 

[timmy toad]

Thanks buddy, but dont you mean turn off the mains AND drain the tank ???

Tim

 

[Terry lambert]

Well, your cold water is on mains, so turning off the mains downstairs will isolate the cold.

Turning off a gate valve next to the cylinder or cold tank or bunging the tank will isolate the hot, or drain the cold tank via the hot tap , safest.

 

[timmy toad]

Hi Terry, just when i thought i was beginning to understand what i have to do, you inadvertently confused me more by adding the second line in the post above ???? LOL.

I dont understand a word of it LOL. I aint doing anything to the hot water ?

Tim

 

[PetePlumb]

Isolate the mains downstairs. Drain the cistern via the cold tap in the bathroom. When this stops, turn on the hot tap just in case there is any remaining water. This way you will not be using all the hot water in your cylinder that you will then have to re-heat..