changing tap seals, no way to turn off water!!!

[davsas]

hi, i have moved into a house built by a comedian. There is NO isolators anywhere, not on the taps, bath, toilets nowhere! the only way i can see to stop the water is to turn off the main stop cock. But how do i stop the upstairs water from the tank?
I want to change the seals as the taps all leak, but other than turning off the mains, and draining the tank in the loft and the hot water tank how can i do it?

Any ideas?

 

[bhm1712]

you answered yourself.....if there are no isolation valves then the only way is to isolate the main stop cock and then run the taps until the tanks are empty....

Edit: while your drained down and mains isolated, maybe it would be a good idea to add isolator valves where they should be.

 

[flameport]

You shouldn't need to drain the hot water cylinder - once the cold has drained from the loft tank, there won't be any pressure so the cylinder should stay full.
Unless some fool connected the outlet at the bottom or some similar shambles.

Alternatively, the outlet from the cold tank could be blocked with a rubber bung or similar, which would be quicker than draining it.

 

[dcawkwell]

This is quite common.
You just need to turn off the water and drain the header tank.
5 minutes.

 

[bhm1712]

You shouldn't need to drain the hot water cylinder - once the cold has drained from the loft tank, there won't be any pressure so the cylinder should stay full.
Unless some fool connected the outlet at the bottom or some similar shambles.

Alternatively, the outlet from the cold tank could be blocked with a rubber bung or similar, which would be quicker than draining it.

if he is changing a seal downstairs, then the head in the cylinder will still be present.

 

[Charnwood]

then the head in the cylinder will still be present.

Not if the DHW outlet is fitted to the top of the cylinder.
Unless, as

some fool connected the outlet at the bottom or some similar shambles.

 

[bhm1712]

true my mistake.