Broken stopcock, pipes buried in kitchen

[McGraw]

Hi.currently have a nightmare on our hands.

Broken stopcock and shared mains so our neighbours have no water.

Nobody wants to touch the work and we're waiting for news from our insurance company.

I'd like to block the water supply to our house without depriving neighbours of water.

Could a plumber cap off our mains or somehow seal up our stopcock?

All pipes are buried behind plaster and tiling.

Thanks a lot.

 

[Agile]

You have not explained clearly what is off. You and neighbour?

Is there a way to turn off in the street?

Water Regulations ( a law ) require every property to have an accessible and working stopcock to turn off water supplies to a property.

I don't see why insurance should have to pay to correct a substandard system.

It is a nightmare job and householders never want to pay the £200 to £500 that it may well cost to correct the problem. Anything connected with a stopcock they expect to be £30 !

Funny how people will live with shared supplies and will never want to pay the £500 to £1500 to have an independent supply until something goes wrong when they wish they had done so.

Tony

 

[McGraw]

We're off in the street and it is affecting us and one neighbour who are being great about it.

Our stopcock was believed to be fine but the female fitting broke on Thursday when a plumber came to do some pipework.

We're in touch with the insurance to sort out long term fix and repair of damage caused by massive leak when stopcock broke.

We had no idea of the perils of a shared main and don't care what this costs to get fixed really. We'll also be going to our independent supply whilst getting the major work done.

So, facing a stopcock where all you can see is the tap and nothing else, can it be permanently/temporarily blocked in some way so we can turn back on at the street and put our neighbours back to where they were?

We can move out until the main work is completed.

 

[Madrab]

Only way to seal your supply is to get access to the pipe at some point along it and cap it off. The easiest place would be to get access around the stop tap, disconnect it and pop a cap in there.

 

[Agile]

I don't know what the female part is that you say has broken.

A normal stopcock has a screwed six sided section which will unscrew. This exposes the inside working and washer.

But these are usually seriously seized up when they are 10 - 100 years old. usually needs at least a 300 mm spanner to undo. A very good box spanner might work but the amount of force needed to open these has to be experienced to be believed.

To replace a stopcock easily requires access all round for about 200 mm. That will allow for connections onto existing pipework.

What does this plumber say about what can be done?

What does your insurance say about water damage?

They usually have no problem covering consequential damage caused by a leak but not repairing the broken part.

Tony

 

[muggles]

Photos would be a massive help here...

 

[McGraw]

Ok just had the neighbours round and they are fine to manage until we get capped.

The female part is where the stopcock screws in. The thread has gone.

Yes, our house is 110 yrs old and the last time we had plumbing work done it was a struggle to open/close.

Insurance will pay out it seems but yes, no help with fixing problem.

Plumber who came on Thursday is not interested in the job and neither is the one who came this morning...we also want everything replacing upwards to the bathroom which is a big job.

We're just hoping to find someone to cap tomorrow so we can gather our thoughts.

I can't help with photos right now but imagine a wall of tiles with a tap sticking out and no surrounding gap around where it screws in then you can get the idea.

Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Agile]

My devious mind has come up with a "U" shaped bracket screwed by wall plugs either side of the stopcock to exert pressure inwards into the tap to hold the washer tightly onto its seat.

Its not that difficult to come up with ways to bodge some of these problems.

Better to NOT lump other jobs together. Most plumbers like simple jobs one at a time.

Presumably lead pipe either side?

If so then over the phone I would be quoting about £160 to chip out the wall either side and replace the stopcock.

Tony

 

[muggles]

If it's lead you might just be able to beat it flat!

As before, pictures would help when you're able

 

[McGraw]

Sorted now thanks. Other half found someone by searching for builder plumber and he came round and just got on with it. He would done the upstairs connection as well but found suspected asbestos so we have no upstairs water for now...but no leaks and neighbours are sorted phew.

 

[Agile]

I will have to remember that excuse for not doing something!

 

[Cgas]

I will have to remember that excuse for not doing something!

Well to be fair if it's asbestos I wouldn't be touching it either !! Not really an excuse.

 

[BigSnoopy01]

I would think avoiding damaged lungs a good "excuse" in my book. Good on him if he's spotted asbestos and wants it dealing with correctly. Too many dangerous contractors would have just put a hammer through it and risk there customers health for a few notes.

 

[snes]

Trying to work out why the plumber who broke the stopcock in the first place didn't fix it....

Or have I missed something?

 

[McGraw]

Ok it's a bit easier to explain everything now I'm at work, more chilled out and on a proper keyboard.

It was actually my partner who broke the stopcock trying to turn the water off when our original upstairs leak started again. We were in the process of arranging for the pipes from the kitchen to the bathroom to be fully replaced when the temporary repair job we had done to the bathroom pipes failed. The plumber had told her the stopcock was stiff and needed turning hard...

The bloke who came out yesterday is not an asbestos contractor but he offered to replace the piping anyway if my partner really wanted it done so we had water upstairs. She said hang fire until it's been identified and removed if necessary.