External stop cock

[Snowyy]

Hi
Last year did some plumbing and isolated internal stop cock, initially this was seized and my external stop cock was full of soil, I managed to get the internal moving so I could do the job, I contacted Severn Trent regarding the external one and they said they would sort it, they came out whilst I was away from the property and removed all the soil and made sure it operated with the use of a stop cock key (According to the report). A year later and I’ve checked the external tap as I have some more plumbing to do and and I found it full of soil again, Severn Trent can’t get out until later this month so I’ve vacuumed the soil out to expose the tap, my multi stop cock key doesn’t fit as it is catching the side but I can grab it with my hand as it is not too far down. Does this need winding clockwise until it is fully shut or do these tend to be quarter turn valves, should I spray some WD40 on the tap to dislodge soil on the spindle so it doesn’t get into the spindle bush (I read once never to spray WD40 on a stop cock as the chemicals attack the washers/seals etc), can I get a key that fits this tap? To me what ever key I use will always catch the side as the tap is too close to the side.

 

[oilboffin]

Clockwise to shut it if it's within reach try to measure it and see what the plumbers merchants
have got in.Bob

 

[Mottie]

Something like this?

https://www.toolstation.com/stop-co...MIvfzuzJ7Y5AIVD9HeCh1L2AWuEAQYASABEgKZPfD_BwE

 

[Snowyy]

Something like this?

https://www.toolstation.com/stop-co...MIvfzuzJ7Y5AIVD9HeCh1L2AWuEAQYASABEgKZPfD_BwE

Hi thanks for the reply, I have one of those keys but it catches the side of the hole stopping it moving, think any key would do the same. Suppose I could squeeze the ends of the key to make it smaller but still think it would catch so looks like I will have to do it by hand which might make it feel stiffer

 

[undertrained]

I could be wrong but that boundary (external) stopcock appears plastic, the type with a long removable spindle, so a key wouldn’t fit.

 

[jeff the gasman]

It’s a thumb screw. Clockwise till it stops.

 

[Snowyy]

I’ve modified my key so it fits and have turned the tap clockwise 1/4 turn but it has not turned off the supply. Turned it 2 full turns and it appears to go tight, checked water but still on. The tap is catching the side so didn’t really want to keep going especially now it has gone tight using the key. The tap handle feels plastic.

 

[Madrab]

If you are unsure and don't want to push it then just call your supplier, just suggest that the tap is going too tight without switching off the water and they should be out to check FOC. Just be there when they're testing so you now what you need to do.

 

[Keithmac]

We had soil/ rubble to the top of ours.

Yorkshire Water came out and dug a big hole, brand new tap and tunnel? were fitted. Was quite impressed really.

If you think you'll snap the tap leave well alone!.

Our intenal stop tap was same, managed to shut it once so put a full bore 1/4 turn lever tap above it and use that now. Seems it may be a lead supply pipe so didn't want to ruin that messing with the original tap..

 

[Snowyy]

Had stw come and try it, they managed to fully tighten it but the upstairs tap was still dribbling out. He opened up the hex valve where you can put a water meter and said that if the stopcock was still open it would be letting water out of here now rather then going through the pipe work into the house also used his listening pole to identify that no water was flowing. Tap upstairs still very slow dribble though, I opened up tap downstairs to drain the pipe work above and tap upstairs not dribbling now when opened just made a gasp which I assume would be air being drawn into the tap. The stw man seemed confident that the stop tap was working and said water coming from upstairs tap would just be pressure in system, although when I last used internal stop tap it shut off the water instantly. Only other way to test it is if I shut stop tap off and drain upstairs pipework using downstairs taps so taps upstairs dont dribble then with downstairs taps closed wait to see if the upstairs one start dribbling again. We are on a combi boiler by the way, used to have tanks but now all off the mains.

 

[Snowyy]

Had stw come and try it, they managed to fully tighten it but the upstairs tap was still dribbling out. He opened up the hex valve where you can put a water meter and said that if the stopcock was still open it would be letting water out of here now rather then going through the pipe work into the house also used his listening pole to identify that no water was flowing. Tap upstairs still very slow dribble though, I opened up tap downstairs to drain the pipe work above and tap upstairs not dribbling now when opened just made a gasp which I assume would be air being drawn into the tap. The stw man seemed confident that the stop tap was working and said water coming from upstairs tap would just be pressure in system, although when I last used internal stop tap it shut off the water instantly. Only other way to test it is if I shut stop tap off and drain upstairs pipework using downstairs taps so taps upstairs dont dribble then with downstairs taps closed wait to see if the upstairs one start dribbling again. We are on a combi boiler by the way, used to have tanks but now all off the mains.

 

[winston1]

should I spray some WD40 on the tap to dislodge soil on the spindle so it doesn’t get into the spindle bush (I read once never to spray WD40 on a stop cock as the chemicals attack the washers/seals etc),

Surely the answer then is a resounding NO.

Anyway WD40 is a water displacement version 40 chemical, not a soil dislodged.