snapped gate valve on mains water inlet

[bananaspark]

It's about 40/50 years so imperial i guess, [the steel pipe it's stopping is roughly 28 mm external diameter. the steel is screwed into the valve]

if I undo the gate mechanism and remove the lot, what guarantee is there that i can stop the flow from where the tap was (about 1 bar pressure) with a selection to hand of imperial (1/2 3/4 1) male stops?

been to a few plumbers shops but cant seem to find an exact match to be sure of changing the gate.

obviously I'd leave the taps open further down to reduce the pressure in my face.

 

[Fluffster]

Freeze the pipe to give you a chance, you will get very wet otherwise no matter how many taps are open water follows the easiest course which will be in your face.
Good luck
Pete

 

[htgeng]

Do you want to change it 'Red Adair' style? If so, I would suggest connecting the outlet to a hose and routing that to a drain. Its going to take a lot of guts and nerve to do it though!

 

[bananaspark]

doh!, didnt think about the taps downstairs open not making much difference, glad i left this for the weekend.

I'll look to hire/borrow a water pump and connect it to the pipework further down, maybe one of those car 'jet washers' should do the trick if it creates a suction force in the pipe.

one puzzle is that the nut that holds the gate mechanism down is actually smaller in size than that of a modern 22mm compression gate.

freezing doesnt look like an easy option, as the broken valve is about 4 inches away from a T off a pipe that supplies downstairs - I'd be freezing them out of a supply also, though last resort, i'll have tell them downstairs and get a industrial grade freezer on the supply.

 

[DP]

All I can say is you are brave. You hope to work on a pipe that is live. What will you do if none of the fitting cap the pipe. Have you EVER tried capping an end where water is flowing (even off a low pressure loft cistern). Do you not realise, no matter what 'suction' tool you have to hand, some water will spill over to flood people downstairs?

If it was me, I would certainly take you to the cleaners for damaging my property. Stop penny pinching get a plumber in to effect repairs. It will be cheaper.

 

[chrishutt]

Are you sure it's mains water? Sounds more like a tank fed supply. In any case there should be somewhere where the whole supply can be turned off to allow a new valve to be fitted. But if this affects other flats this should be done by a professional, as said above.

 

[Fluffster]

You never mentioned you had neighbours below, I think they would be happier with no water for an hour than water every where for hours!
Do as the guys say get a plumber in and if it goes wrong make sure he has insurance.
Pete

 

[bananaspark]

thanks for all the helpful feedback.

the council who own most of the block, want written notification just to get someone to come round and turn off the water supply in an emergency, +the details of an insured plumber.

shame a caretaker couldnt be called in on the job like 'in the old days'.

In the end I measured 4 different gate valves and none of the threads looked like even a close match, so solved the problem with a bit of neat metalwork, -filing a square out of the round spindle and re-attaching the handle, but it's jammed open and redundant as a valve.

I do have a 22mm ballofix down from this tap as it turns to copper but not sure if it conforms to regs as the only 'working' stop. (tank water).

 

[kevindgas]

the council who own most of the block, want written notification just to get someone to come round and turn off the water supply in an emergency, +the details of an insured plumber.

i wonder why that is (scratches head emotion) could it be idiots trying diy repairs and flooding the place?

 

[chrishutt]

I do have a 22mm ballofix down from this tap as it turns to copper..

So what's the problem? You have a working isolation valve! Forget about the broken gate valve.