Has anyone seen this type of external stopcock key before?

[VinegarStrokes]

Long story short, I had a plumber out today and he need to turn off the external water supply. After waiting for Severn Trent for four hours he had to leave.
When the inspector eventually turned up he showed me the key attachment he used to turn the supply off. It fits over the whole meter and the whole thing turns to shut off the supply.
Being as the plumber will have to come back to finish the work and I don't fancy having to call out the Severn Trent guys again after having waited all day for them this time I thought I'd enquire as to what it might be called and where I'd be able to source one from as my Googling has been completely in vain.
The inspector let me take a photo, He seemed completely in the dark as to where you'd get one or what it was called as well!

Cheers!

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• VinegarStrokes
• 20 Dec 2012
• 1

Untitled

• VinegarStrokes
• 20 Dec 2012
• 1

 

[dcawkwell]

Long story short, I had a plumber out today and he need to turn off the external water supply. After waiting for Severn Trent for four hours he had to leave.
When the inspector eventually turned up he showed me the key attachment he used to turn the supply off. It fits over the whole meter and the whole thing turns to shut off the supply.
Being as the plumber will have to come back to finish the work and I don't fancy having to call out the Severn Trent guys again after having waited all day for them this time I thought I'd enquire as to what it might be called and where I'd be able to source one from as my Googling has been completely in vain.
The inspector let me take a photo, He seemed completely in the dark as to where you'd get one or what it was called as well!

Cheers!

Untitled

• VinegarStrokes
• 20 Dec 2012
• 1

Untitled

• VinegarStrokes
• 20 Dec 2012
• 1

Tell them to get out there and fix it properly! You should have a working
stop cock you can use to turn your water on and off should you require
it. Not turning the meter or anything.
If necessary they will have to dig it up to do it.

 

[Charnwood]

Never seen anything like it in 40 years of selling plumbing materials.

Also in 40 years I've never heard of turning a meter to turn off a supply.

 

[Johnmelad]

Looks like the key used to remove the meter. Others:

 

[JohnD]

a photo of the meter would be useful

 

[Bosswhite]

That must be a key to remove the internal part of the meter, as Water Meters are now being changed to remote control reading facility , it would be quicker than turning off the water every time.

 

[Charnwood]

Some if not most meters now come pulsed and just need a wire attaching to facilitate remote reading. No need to dismantle.

 

[Bosswhite]

Some if not most meters now come pulsed and just need a wire attaching to facilitate remote reading. No need to dismantle.

And what about the early meters that have been in situ for the last ten years or so ?

 

[Biggles..]

It's for a plastic quarter turn tap in a boundary box.
You can't actually buy them, ST water had them made by an engineering firm.

What they should have done is refitted you the plastic handle that's more than likely missing!

We made our own and welded it up but it's not as posh as that, just a fork shape at the right width to catch the two indents on the stop tap.

 

[JohnD]

a photo of the meter would be useful

The ones I have seen have a spigot that you can put a plastic T-handle on, probable like Lee mentions

an older house probably has a stop-cock in the front garden, nect to where the front gate used to be when the house was built, but probably paved over by some plonker.

I dug this one out

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