Stopcock leaking

[stratford99]

I have a leaking stopcock in my cellar, a good few litres a day. However the external stopcock is broken and Thames Water show little interest in repairing it.

I understand I can freeze the internal pipe and replace the leaking stopcock that way. How big a job and how much would a fair price be?

 

[nstreet]

Check to see if TW are responsible for the external stopcock, if so get the lazy bu**ers to fix it, after all thats what you pay your bills for. If they dont come out, hit it with a hammer, then call it in as an emergency leak

Personally I wouldn't trust a plug of ice with mains water pressure behind it, you only need something unexpected to happen (salesman at the door, mother-in-law turns up unexpectedly etc etc) and that 20 minute window has disappeared and your up to your knees in cold water, with no way of stopping it, short of bending the copper or trying to fit a stopend with water spraying at you.

 

[ArtfulBodger]

Personally if I had your problem of leakage, the SC was in the cellar and you couldn't get the external SC fixed I would go for it.

The very worst that's going to happen is that you are going to get temporarily, very very wet.

Just have all the tools and fittings you could possible need to hand, make sure all power is off and just do it.

If the ice plug shoots out, if I had a convenient bit of copper upstream of the SC I would cut the pipe and quickly put a new SC on with the tap open, clamp it up and turn it off.

You will get wet but your problem will be solved.

 

[Nige F]

Personally..........You will get wet but your problem will be solved.

Or go to Citizens Advice, get chapter+verse. and put a few fux into thames water They`d show interest If I was a customer with a problem that is their responsibility

 

[Dave66]

Before you do anything drastic, where is the stopcock leaking from? Have tried tightening the gland nut?

 

[numpty with a crowbar]

Had a similar(ish) problem with my stopcock - although in my case the previous clampet who owned the house had painted over the stopcock in the open position - knacker
Had to freeze the pipe in the end coz the external stopcock was seized solid - I'd reccommend that you hire a proper freezing kit for a day to be sure - they'll do the job nicely as long as you can get it to clamp to the pipe prior to the stopcock - wouldn't advise it on lead pipe

But hassle the water company - they shoud fix it for you as it "should" be in good working order...

BTW - anyone know a good way of trying to get my water company to do mine without revealing that I have access to a key??