Position of drain off and hot drain off?

[Albumen]

Advice seems to be drain off immediately after the stop cock. Does it have to be?

Doing it like that puts my stop cock really close to the floor and even more awkward than they usually are.

The split between ground floor and upstairs happens about 10 inches from the ground floor floor level. So the stop cock has got to go before the split. But does the drain off have to go there. Couldn't I just put it anywhere on the ground floor circuit that's low down? In fact if I sited it somewhere else I could get it lower than the stop cock.

Does the DHW circuit need a drain off?

Thanks.

 

[EFLImpudence]

The stop-cock is usually near the entry point of the water supply.

A drain-cock should be at the lowest point.

The DHW has several drain-cocks (taps) although, again, the lowest point would be convenient should you need to work on the low parts of the system.

Not sure what you are doing but the system should be designed so that there are no up and down runs which would cause air-locks or parts from which water will not drain.

Are you on the correct forum?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Are you on the correct forum?

What do you think?

 

[seco services]

Drain -cock go's after stopcock.
No good before stopcock.

 

[Albumen]

Sorry, wrong forum.

Thanks for the advice anyway.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Drain off: after internal stop cock, ideally within 150mm of the stop cock.
There is nothing to say that you cannot install a second, third, forth.......... drain off valve on the installation at another accessible point but must be one immediately after the internal stop cock !

 

[Albumen]

Done it like that. It's actually within 40mm of the stop cock! Might scatter a few more about the place as the spirit moves me.

Thanks.

 

[EFLImpudence]

You should only need one at the lowest point on each part of the system (cold,hot,CH) if the pipework is installed correctly.

 

[JohnW2]

You should only need one at the lowest point on each part of the system (cold,hot,CH) if the pipework is installed correctly.

I guess that depends upon what you mean by 'correctly'. If, in the name of practicality/convenience, several things (like CH radiators) are fed by drops from above, then one needs a drain cock at the bottom of each drop, if one wants to be able to drain any part (or all) of the system. ... but maybe you would not regard the use of pipe drops as 'correct'.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[EFLImpudence]

You should only need one at the lowest point on each part of the system (cold,hot,CH) if the pipework is installed correctly.

I guess that depends upon what you mean by 'correctly'. If, in the name of practicality/convenience, several things (like CH radiators) are fed by drops from above, then one needs a drain cock at the bottom of each drop, if one wants to be able to drain any part (or all) of the system. ... but maybe you would not regard the use of pipe drops as 'correct'.

Well, yes that may, of course, be correct for the radiators when installed that way. (Akin to several air-bleed valves when the other way round)

I had overlooked that while thinking of the thread and the OP saying he may install more drain-cocks 'if the spirit moves him' and wondering why.

Also, PBoD's insistence that one should be placed 'immediately after the stop-cock'.
I'm not sure if the emphasis should be on 'immediately' or 'after' or if this is this a regulation (like ours) regardless of circumstances.
There would be little point having one at this position if the pipe were to run downhill after the stop-cock.

 

[JohnW2]

Well, yes that may, of course, be correct for the radiators when installed that way. (Akin to several air-bleed valves when the other way round). I had overlooked that while thinking of the thread and the OP saying he may install more drain-cocks 'if the spirit moves him' and wondering why.

Except in the sort of circumstances I described, one drain cock (at a very low point in the 'correctly installed' system') is obviously adequate, although not necessarily optimally convenient. In my (extensive and complex) plumbing system, I have countless valves and associated drain cocks, so that I can isolate and drain relatively small parts of the system if I so wish - essentially a matter of 'concenience'.

Also, PBoD's insistence that one should be placed 'immediately after the stop-cock'. I'm not sure if the emphasis should be on 'immediately' or 'after' or if this is this a regulation (like ours) regardless of circumstances. There would be little point having one at this position if the pipe were to run downhill after the stop-cock.

Like you, I don't know if the 'immediately' is imposed by a regulation - if it is, as you say, it would be far from ideal (from the installation's viewpoint) to have the drain cock there (particularly if it were the only drain cock) if there were lower parts of the installation. The 'after' is obviously essential - if one is talking about the 'main stop cock'!

Kind Regards, John.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

.

Also, PBoD's insistence that one should be placed 'immediately after the stop-cock'.
I'm not sure if the emphasis should be on 'immediately' or 'after' or if this is this a regulation (like ours) regardless of circumstances.
There would be little point having one at this position if the pipe were to run downhill after the stop-cock.

Like you, I don't know if the 'immediately' is imposed by a regulation - if it is, as you say, it would be far from ideal (from the installation's viewpoint) to have the drain cock there (particularly if it were the only drain cock) if there were lower parts of the installation. The 'after' is obviously essential - if one is talking about the 'main stop cock'!

The guideline is within 150mm of internal stop tap, but there is no distance given in the water regulations.

Wherever pratrical, all cold, hot and CH pipework, should have one installed in such a manner that the whole system can be drained down. They should be accessible and a connection for a drain hose available, but not located below ground or in a position they could become submerged. Also provisions from frost, preventions from contamination and backflow contamination during drain off operation

 

[JohnW2]

The guideline is within 150mm of internal stop tap, but there is no distance given in the water regulations.
Wherever pratrical, all cold, hot and CH pipework, should have one installed in such a manner that the whole system can be drained down. They should be accessible and a connection for a drain hose available, but not located below ground or in a position they could become submerged. Also provisions from frost, preventions from contamination and backflow contamination during drain off operation

Thanks. Yes, that all sounds sensible. Perhaps the main issue arises in buildings with basement (i.e.'underground') accommodation which contains plumbing, but with the water entry (hence main 'internal stop tap') close to ground level - or even, similarly, in some buildings built on sloping sites. In such a situation, a drain cock 'within 150mm of the internal stop tab' would then obviously not be satisfactory for draining down the whole system. As with most things, I think that common sense should be allowed to prevail!

Kind Regards, John

 

[securespark]

Are you on the correct forum?

What do you think?

Well, if this is the correct forum for talking about my 'cock, I'd like to tell you all about mine....

It's smooth and hard and when it gets turned on, lots of liquid shoots out.

My stopcock, of course.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

John,
That would be where the practicable side of the regulation would come in to play, as you say logical common sense would need to prevail and you would be looking for the lowest point that would satisfy the regulations best.