Stop cock doesnt work?

banjodeano · 24 May 2020

Hiya guys.
I tried to turn the water off the other day, and when i fully screwed the stop cock in it made no difference whatsoever. i would have thought that even if the rubber seal inside had perished it would have slowed down the water flow at least a bit, but it made no difference, We have never needed to shut the water off before, so i was wondering if this was indeed the main stop cock, the last residents told us this was the stop cock, as soon as i get the waterboard out to locate the external stop cock (buried under the garden somewhere) then i can shut it off and have a look, but does anyone know if the rubber seal is completely perished would it still flow Niagra falls?

Updated, see last post

denso13 · 24 May 2020

banjodeano said:
but does anyone know if the rubber seal is completely perished would it still flow Niagra falls?

Very possibly, taps can also do that with a split washer.

banjodeano · 24 May 2020

denso13 said:
Very possibly, taps can also do that with a split washer.

Thanks Denso, i will have to see when i can take it apart,

oldbuffer · 24 May 2020

Are you certain the tap you tried is off the mains, or could it be tank fed? The kitchen cold or an outside tap are the best bets.

banjodeano · 24 May 2020

oldbuffer said:
Are you certain the tap you tried is off the mains, or could it be tank fed? The kitchen cold or an outside tap are the best bets.

I am pretty sure it is the right one, i got the paperwork out from the solicitors that the seller has filled in, it says the stop cock is in a cupboard by the kitchen door, this is where i found it....no shut off tap at all under the sink, i shall have to lift the floor boards and get under for a good look, i should be able to see where the water pipe enters the building, if this one is the correct stop tap i am amazed it doesnt even slow the flow of water...
Thanks for your input

leegsi · 25 May 2020

Turn off outside the house and just fit a new one above it?

oldbutnotdead · 26 May 2020

Are you in the middle of nowhere? There'll nearly always be a water stop tap on or just outside the boundary (in the pavement, in the driveway, at the end of the garden path)

banjodeano · 26 May 2020

oldbutnotdead said:
Are you in the middle of nowhere? There'll nearly always be a water stop tap on or just outside the boundary (in the pavement, in the driveway, at the end of the garden path)

No mate, we are in a town....the last people that had the house were pretty clueless, the fella didnt think he was on a water meter, and when we went for a second viewing the lady corrected that they were in fact on a water meter, and pointing to the lawn, said "it was somewhere in this area"...so i am assuming the area in which she was mentioning may contain our tap as well as a meter, under a well manicured lawn....there is nothing out on the public path,

oldbutnotdead · 26 May 2020

That could be a nasty surprise for you if they've been on estimated readings for forever....have a look at your neighbours gardens, see where their stop taps/meters are.

banjodeano · 26 May 2020

oldbutnotdead said:
That could be a nasty surprise for you if they've been on estimated readings for forever....have a look at your neighbours gardens, see where their stop taps/meters are.

yeah, thats a good point

banjodeano · 4 Jun 2020

UPDATE....
I thought i would update this thread in case anyone was following it..
I had the water board out who located my stop cock in the garden under a few inch of soil, i turned the water off and then had a look at the the stop cock in the house, it turned out that the rubber washer was completely perished, upon replacement it worked just fine, i wouldnt have thought that even though the washer was perished, it wouldn't have slowed the water flow a bit, but it didnt

CBW · 4 Jun 2020

Depends if the jumper had snapped as well.

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Stop cock doesnt work?

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