Weak mains water flow - replace stopcock?

[NBee]

Hi guys, you will see from the attached images that we have a very weak mains water flow from our kitchen tap. It literally just piddles out, filling a kettle is painfully slow! It's been like this for years but gradually gets worse.

A few years ago we had the boiler replaced, and the engineer managed to get a wrench down there and open up the stopcock for me, which seemed to do the trick as the water flowed quite nicely. But gradually over time it's slowed down again.

Now the problem is access to that stopcock is limited, and it takes someone with more strength than me and the correct tools to get it to budge. As you can see it's behind the plumbing for the washing machine and hot taps, right up against the wall where the pipe enters the building.

What do you think the real problem is here? Is the stopcock just old and corroded? Will replacing the stopcock sort the problem out? Is this a simple job for a decent plumber?

Appreciate any advice!

 

[bellairaphon]

Looks like the stopcock is the facing the wrong way. Is it a lead pipe? Have you got the same problem with your other taps. And last have you called your supplier?

Nath

 

[Nige F]

Looks like the stopcock is the facing the wrong way.

Nath

or the pictures are upside down

 

[Madrab]

I think the external mains feeds from above and the flow is down to the tap and then out via the copper flexi to the house. Weird but not the 1st time I've seen that.
If there is clear access to a working external stopcock then changing that one is easy work for a plumber.
If it can't be turned off then it needs replaced anyway and if that doesn't help with the flow then get onto your water supplier.

 

[NBee]

Yes the pictures are the right way up! The pipe does indeed come down, though I've no idea why.

I did once contact the water supplier but they refused to look at it, saying the supply to my property and the neighbours was fine (which it is, the downstairs flat has no such problems). They just said it was my problem.

There's no problems with any other taps, because they all feed off the tank. This is the only tap which comes straight from the mains.

Oh, and this is my only mains stopcock, so as it stands I can't actually cut off the water to the kitchen tap. In order to change the stopcock, I'll have to isolate the supply from the pavement outside where there's a tap under one of those steel grills.

 

[ree]

If possible, trace the copper pipe coming down to supply your stop-tap, trace it to where it branches off any common mains supply. Could it be dropping from your upstairs neighbour's flat? Are you on a meter?

As it stands you dont have a water shut-off for your flat - do you know if the outside stop-tap is working properly - sometimes the chamber below the cover is full of earth debris.

The sink mixer could also be a culprit. So could a degraded jumper in the stop-tap.
Given that you are in flats i would ensure that if the stop-tap is replaced then the new isolator must be a conventional stop-tap with a jumper.


I'd get a plumber in to investigate the supply and sort out the rats nest blocking access to your internal stop-tap. FWIW: i'm not familiar with "plastic" corrugated "flex" connectors - except in copper.