need help! have no water anywhere!

[thedrb]

At first the cold water tap in the kitchen turned without opening the valve. I evaluated that the thread had gone, and with due care prized open the plastic cover, undid the screw and found the offending threadbare attachment.

Under my sink in the cupboard is a tap i understood to be the cold water shut off valve. I shut the water off. I checked in the bathroom that the coldwater was off and it was. I then opened the cold water valve just to check that the water would return..It did not! I assumed I had an airlock and went about searching these pages for solutions.

At this point all the hot water in all my taps worked perfectly. After opening and closing the cold water supply tap about 10 times I now have no hot water or cold water, my toilet system is also non functioning...i claim the prize for most idiotic undertaking of a job i am hopelessly underskilled to carry out but does anyone know what it is that i've done and how to reverse it? any comments greatly appreciated

 

[Paul Barker]

The stop cock must be broken. You have to look in the street for one adjacent to your house, prize open the lid. Usually a little square with W on it, only adjacent to your house in the pavement. Lid may need banging with hammer muchly to free it then prize it up. Reach down with long thin arm whiuch has a very strong grip, and feel for a tap, turn it off.

Back into house undo bottom and top compression nuts on stop cock, fit the body of new one you bought before you started reading what I said. Fit new kitchen tap before restoring supply.

If you are as good with street stop cocks as you are with house ones have the no. of the water board handy, they'll come out same day to put right your ham fisted efforts to their tap.

If you can't sort your own stop cock you can't expct wb to also help you foc with that one, it's your responsibility pay a professional.

 

[thedrb]

Cheers paul for the speedy response, greatly appreciate your comments. I live in a rented apartment and have found the stopcocks for all the flats. I WILL NOT touch the one that deals with my pad (see, i'm learning!)

When i turn on the hot tap i get a blast of hot water then it slows to a trickle and stops.

Does anyone know if I will have to call a plumber, the waterboard or my landlord? I could really do with a flushing toilet that flushes! Am I liable for the repair costs or would the landlord need to front some cash for this one!

 

[Paul Barker]

There is a lot of pressre still but no flow, so after the taps have been shut for a while pressure builds up, you open the tap and it gushes but this is not backed up by any flow.

Who is responsible is probably a legal minefield, but if I do something I take responsibility for my actions and fix it or pay for it to be fixed.

 

[peter the plumber]

you could freeze just under the stopcock with a freeze kit and then change valve or spin a new body in old valve?Insure no water is running if you want to freeze

 

[doitall]

sounds like an air lock to me.

Have you a storage tank and cylinder

 

[thedrb]

yes, have a storage tank, but not sure what you mean by cyclinder. My flat is all one level, storage tank next to bathroom. I know understand that the lack of all water simply means I've drained the tank.

 

[kevplumb]

has it got FORTIC on it anywhere ???

 

[thedrb]

yes, yes, sorry team, your helping me and i'm being a cretin it's a Fortic F1 S7 combo cyclinder

 

[chrishutt]

Does anyone know if I will have to call a plumber, the waterboard or my landlord?

Your landlord is entirely responsible for the maintenance of fixtures such as taps and stop valves. That's what you pay rent for.

 

[thedrb]

chrishutt, thankyou

 

[doitall]

You have an air lock in the pipes

 

[Agile]

The Landlord is responsible for the maintenance of the plumbing and heating system.

However the tenant is responsible for any damage he causes. The Landlord could argue that an unauthorised attempt by the tenant to repair has caused more damage than had a professional been called.

I have encountered tenants who attempt to repair gas boilers. In some cases where the landlord has ignored the repairs for months thats perhaps understandable.

In my view its the stopcock that has failed closed. Let us know the outcome.

Is it a Bank Holiday in the US this weekend?

Tony

 

[Nigelo]

Is it a Bank Holiday in the US this weekend?

Tony

I thought all weekends were Bank Holidays in the US

Ahem, I'll get my coat