The handle on the main stopcock where the rising main enters the house in the corner of the kitchen broke off many years ago. We have 2 ways to turn the water off that aren’t ideal. I have filed a square end onto the stopcock spindle where the handle used to fit so this can be turned off with a spanner. This takes a good 5 minutes as it’s in a tight space. Or we can use the stopcock at the boundary of the property, although this involves finding something to prize open the grate, and using a home made key (tube with a notch cut out) to make it easier and quicker to turn. Should we ever have an emergency at 4 in the morning on a cold winter’s morning, we’d be in trouble, so I plan to replace the broken indoor stopcock.
What would be a suitable replacement for use as a main stopcock? Will any bog standard stopcock from a DIY store do, or should it be a certain type? Several types seem to be available, for example at http://www.bes.ltd.uk/nav_graf/frames_cat.htm there is the option of a DZR stopcock, gunmetal stopcock, brass stopcock… Which one of these is the best and most appropriate for the job? The rising main is 15mm copper.
What we have is a stopcock and draincock in one unit. I world rather, unless there’s a specific requirement, fit only a stopcock. We have never once needed to use the draincock in the 31 years we’ve lived here as the entire system can be drained by opening the outside tap, apart from the water in the approx half metre of pipe between the stopcock and first tee. I can’t see any combined stopcock/draincock units available, and I don’t see the point of fitting a separate draincock immediately after the stopcock that we’ll never use because we can already easily drain all the parts of the system that we need to.
Are there any other requirements I’ve missed. A search on the web hasn’t revealed anything.
Thanks
Tim
What would be a suitable replacement for use as a main stopcock? Will any bog standard stopcock from a DIY store do, or should it be a certain type? Several types seem to be available, for example at http://www.bes.ltd.uk/nav_graf/frames_cat.htm there is the option of a DZR stopcock, gunmetal stopcock, brass stopcock… Which one of these is the best and most appropriate for the job? The rising main is 15mm copper.
What we have is a stopcock and draincock in one unit. I world rather, unless there’s a specific requirement, fit only a stopcock. We have never once needed to use the draincock in the 31 years we’ve lived here as the entire system can be drained by opening the outside tap, apart from the water in the approx half metre of pipe between the stopcock and first tee. I can’t see any combined stopcock/draincock units available, and I don’t see the point of fitting a separate draincock immediately after the stopcock that we’ll never use because we can already easily drain all the parts of the system that we need to.
Are there any other requirements I’ve missed. A search on the web hasn’t revealed anything.
Thanks
Tim