Fitting a Drain Cock after the Stop Tap - Recommended ?

[WhatNext]

Good Evening

I hope that you all had a good weekend.

I am having the cold water pipe work altered in my house.

I was wondering in order to be able to drain the cold water piping in the future I was thinking about having a type A drain valve fitted after the stop tap ?

There is a PRV which keeps the water pressure set to 3 Bar on the house side of the stop tap.

Would this be a good idea for the future or it is perhaps overkill and another potential item to leak out of sight in the cupboard below the kitchen sink ?

My thinking was that if I needed to I could then shut the stop tap and then drain all the water if e.g. the PRV ever needed to be changed ?

Many thanks.

 

[cross thread]

Good idea

 

[dilalio]

It'll only leak when operated and its good practice to have a new washer/innards on stand by for that occasion.

The times I've cursed due to lack of drain points on systems

 

[WhatNext]

Morning Dilalio - many thanks - I was wondering are the 15mm type A drain valve capable of withstanding mains pressure ? in my case the static mains pressure is 7 Bar. This would be the case if it were fitted between the stop valve and the inlet to the PRV.

I note on the PRV that that there is evidence of water inside the pressure gauge on the outlet side which I guess means it leaked at some point and so the gauge needs to be replaced. It is an ERES PRV which I believe is Altechnic ? The leak seems to have stopped which is odd ?

The innards for the PRV do you happen to know are they readily available as a redress kit ? When you say "operated" I take it that you mean if the pressure setting is altered either up or down ?

Cheers

 

[dilalio]

If you're worried about overpressure then put in a tee and use a 15mm lever or butterfly handle valve for drain down, with a cap installed on the outlet to prevent accidental operation of the valve.

The innards and washer I was referring to was for the drain cock not the reducing valve. However, you can replace innards of a reducing valve of you so wish, but these are usually harvested from a complete new valve.

 

[Madrab]

are the 15mm type A drain valve capable of withstanding mains pressure ?

Most brass fittings, if WRAS approved, are tested and rated to 10Bar on cold water. Type A would be the one to fit.

 

[dilalio]

Most brass fittings, if WRAS approved, are tested and rated to 10Bar on cold water. Type A would be the one to fit.

Accepted. However, I've experienced enough cylinder drain cocks fail to stop using them altogether... Levers for me, and if unvented, I tee them straight into the D2.