Isolating toilet and basin

[yampug]

Hi we have a 70s bathroom where a 22mm pipe comes around back of bath exits at the end of bath panel against wall short stubby 22mm bit of copper pipe pops out of tiles then goes to a 22mm 15mm 15mm soldered reducing tee. Top of 15mm tee straight up to solid copper pipe(roughly 45mm length) to soldered tap connector straight onto bottom of cistern.

Other 15mm part of tee continues on to basin to the left hand of toilet.

I want to some how fit a method of isolating the toilet and basin so I can do some repairs on the bathroom floor.

There isn't enough space to fit an isolating valve under the bath, at the end of the bath, before the reducing tee, or in between the cistern and reducing tee.

I can fit isolating valves before the taps easily but isolating the toilet is proving to be impossible.

Plus the basin waste pipe is right in the way of the copper pipes

Any ideas how to isolate the cistern?

Thanks

 

[DP]

https://www.bes.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/a744fe99fbf79cfc7a19c7221f75fc88/i/s/isolating-valve-15mm-wras-approved-10406-6_min_10406_P_1.jpg

Something like this would do the trick. Often these valves leak from the spindle when rthe valve is closed due to cheap build quality

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

https://www.bes.co.uk/media/catalog...-15mm-wras-approved-10406-6_min_10406_P_1.jpg

I make a point, of fitting one of those, whenever I need to work upon or service any valves taps, or etc.. The come in plain brass, or chrome plated finish.

For instance - my downstairs toilet, has hot a cold feeding into it. Feeding toilet cistern, wash basin, and an outdoor tap. I fitted an isolator on each of the hot and cold pipes, where they entered the room, making it easy to work on anything in that room, without turning the entire water supply off to the house.

 

[Madrab]

Need to see a pic of the toilet pipework - but you would use either a service valve (not an ISO valve) on the fill valve or trim the pipe up to the cistern back and then connect a flexi with a valve.

 

[yampug]

Need to see a pic of the toilet pipework - but you would use either a service valve (not an ISO valve) on the fill valve or trim the pipe up to the cistern back and then connect a flexi with a valve.

View attachment 344352

 

[Madrab]

Hmmm - tight space with little access, basin waste pipe in the way - no easy way to do that I'm afraid

TBH the best way to do that would be to lift the cistern and then use a proper WRAS approved (SS) valved flexi and pigtail it. That'll allow the cistern to be put back down and then the flexi connected(edit) if the 22mm cannot be isolated further upstream.

 

[yampug]

Need to see a pic of the toilet pipework - but you would use either a service valve (not an ISO valve) on the fill valve or trim the pipe up to the cistern back and then connect a flexi with a valve.

View attachment 344352

I like the idea of the service valve but a problem I would like to resolve is that the cistern is rigidly connected to the pipework. There's no give at all which I think is why the existing cistern has a crack in it.

Flexi is also a good idea but there isn't enough space to fit one without it kinking between existing tee and cistern fill valve. Edit...googled pigtail I see how you mean now. Possibly that might work.

There is possibly enough space at the end of the bath behind the panel once toilet is removed to fit a 15mm and 22mm isolation valve to each pipe. Once I've cut the basin waste out of the way temporarily. Or just a 22mm for the toilet pipe then I'll isolate the 15mm hot closer to the sink.

 

[Madrab]

Possibly that might work.

Pigtailing will work - do it all the time - if it doesn't want to hold the loop flat against itself when tightening the flexi to the fill valve then a small tie wrap will hold it neatly together - the alternative is to cut and cap that feed and cut another tee and bend in further along the 15mm pipe then add a flexi to come backwards to the fill valve.

The cistern will have cracked as it would have been tightened down too much - cisterns are suppose to have a little flexibility in the close couple doughnut connection but the cistern should also be screwed to the wall. Any movement in the pan can also contribute to a cistern cracking. Where did it actually crack?

 

[yampug]

Cistern has cracked as chipboard floor is broken under pan. Cistern fixed to wall, rigid pipework attached to Cistern. Pan flexes downwards when floor flexes.

I need to isolate toilet before I can repair damaged floor.

 

[yampug]

Had to cut the basin waste under the bath to get it out the way but toilet now has an isolator valve. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Madrab]

Sorted and such a lovely pigtail - can I recommend that you use McAlpine stuff in the future rather than the B shed's Floplast - it's so much better quality stuff.