Water stop tap

Master of None · 10 Apr 2014

My gate pattern water stop cock valve under my kitchen unit will not shut off.
It always felt a bit rough when operating but now seams to jam solid before the flow is stopped.
I have a working quarter turn valve under the garden and have bought the tool to reach this.
Is this situation ok or could the valve fail catastrophically and flood my house.
To get it replaced would require major kitchen deconstruction to give reasonable access.

Thanks.

Newboy · 10 Apr 2014

On a practical basis I'd replace the internal stopcock (with a screw-down type) - in the event that you need to shut off your mains supply in a hurry then you don't want to be hunting around outside. It is unlikely that the valve will fail.

Last winter had exactly the situation you describe (as an emergency call out at 3 am) with the end result that following a burst pipe in the roofspace the householder was faced with full bore mains running through the house for almost an hour - the external stopcock was under about a foot of snow and very difficult to locate despite the homeowner "knowing exactly where is was" - eventually it was faster to cap the pipework live.

ALCPlumbing · 10 Apr 2014

You could turn the water off in the garden and undo the body of the gate valve and replace the washer in the same way as you would replace the washer on a tap. You will have to replace the fibre washer that seals the body.

jeff the gasman · 11 Apr 2014

ALCPlumbing said:
You could turn the water off in the garden and undo the body of the gate valve and replace the washer in the same way as you would replace the washer on a tap. You will have to replace the fibre washer that seals the body.

Gate valves don't have washers.

Burnerman · 11 Apr 2014

You could isolate the house in the garden and then install a new stop cock just above the faulty one......the valve itself isn't going to fail flood wise - they just fail to shut off (crap under the sluice gate usually) or the hand wheel snaps off. Great in the days of steam, these!
Your job difficulty really depends on access to the existing gate valve.
John

ALCPlumbing · 11 Apr 2014

You're right of course gate valves don't have washers. Duh. My bad.

Master of None · 14 Apr 2014

Thanks guys, due to its location I will probably leave as is. It feels like it has collapsed inside. The resistance to closing is defiantly mechanical not crud. Is this the usual method of failure? Is it possible to replace all the internals without removing the valve? This I could do.

Regards

diynot

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Water stop tap

Master of None

Newboy

ALCPlumbing

jeff the gasman

Burnerman

ALCPlumbing

Master of None

DIYnot Local

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