Turning off water

[Talby]

Got an outside tap on the side of an extension built in the 80's, the tap and the pipe look to be contemporary with the extension. When we finally thawed out water began spraying from the pipe at a joint near the ground. The joint is where the pipe that runs up the wall connects to a supply pipe just above ground level that disappears off underground and there is just one lock-nut at the junction.

I have a couple of questions. What is likely to have happened here and how can it be repaired ? The pipe isn't split and the leak is from the joint. I tried very gently tightening it up with a wrench which reduced the leak but was wary of tightening it up too much, surely just tightening it can't be the solution.

Secondly, I turned the water off at the stopcock in the kitchen and every tap in the house dried up except this one outside and I left it running for a long time and the flow didn't reduce at all. I have heard that there could possibly be two stopcocks and that the water supply could split off but I cannot find another stopcock anywhere. I have got someone coming out to look at it but they can't come until next week. Meanwhile it would be helpful if I could turn the water off when I not here but other than turning it off in the street I can't see a way to do it. Should there always be a stopcock on the property somewhere?

Cheers

 

[Newboy]

What is likely to have happened here and how can it be repaired ?

More than likely frost has damaged the fitting. Almost certainly needs to be replaced along with a section of pipework.

Meanwhile it would be helpful if I could turn the water off when I not here but other than turning it off in the street I can't see a way to do it.

The main stopcock (at the property boundary) will isolate the supply to all your property. This would seem to be the only solution for the arrangement you have at present.

Should there always be a stopcock on the property somewhere?

The stopcock in the kitchen is almost certainly shuting off the water supply to the house. It would appear that the supply has been T'ed off to the external supply before your internal stopcock.

Ideally, the external supply should T off after your internal stopcock and have it's own means of isolation, backflow prevention and drain-down point so that it can be shut off and drained in the event of forecast of freezing conditions.

 

[Talby]

Thanks for comprehensive and helpful response. It does surprise me there is no isolation for this outside tap.