Old stop cock

[DB1]

Hi,

I am after some help / advice. I have a steel pipe coming into the house that goes into an old stop cock that is jammed and the head has twisted off. A plumber added a second stop cock further down on the copper 15mm pipe a few years ago this was. The problem is the water pressure is low and that causes issues with the shower - I think the old stop cock was not fully open when it broke.

I was thinking of trying to remove the part with the handle (what do they call it a 'bonnet'?) and leave the body of the stop cock on the pipes. The steel pipe looks to be 22mm (the image with the ruler is just for context - I measured it more accurately with a straight edge against the side of the pipe without the phone/camera in one hand and the ruler in the other!)

Any suggestions, description / sizes I should look at? Would this be imperial/metric? This is a UK house built in the late 1700s, I have no idea when this pipe was installed - probably before the 1980s. I bought the house in 2013 and its been jammed since I've been here - I called out a plumber who installed the second stop cock - which is just out of camera shot back in 2014 I think. I guess one option is to buy a few different stop cocks - metric and imperial and see if I can get something to fit? My plan was to start a regime of using penetrating oil on the nut at the base of the 'bonnet' as it joins the body of the stop cock over a course of several days before trying to undo it.

 

[Scally-Ho]

Using 2pr of Stillson's (grip wrenches) that old brass M&F stopcock can be wound off after shutting main off in pathway. To gain access to wind that stopcock off, a hacksaw will be needed to cut thru rusting F&F iron bend. Once the old cock has been removed, a new FI to Cu compression fitting can be used to start a new connection for your mains water and a new Cu to Cu stopcock installed.

Made4Trade Compression Coupler Female

• The only compression fittings range manufactured in the UK• Create a mechanical heat free connection• WRAS Approved• Suitable for use on both gas and water• Suitable for Domestic and Commercial Heating and Plumbing Applications• 25 Year Warranty • Manufactured to EN1254Copper pipe also...

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[Harry Bloomfield]

Your first job, is to find your outdoor stop tap, turn it off, and ensure your water goes off. The steel, will be Imperial, 1/2".

 

[CountryFan]

As Harry above, locate and make sure the external stopcock works. I would then apply silicon spray to the gland but and back it off and then get to work on the stopcock head. If you replace as per scallyho, then you have a fitting before the main.

 

[DB1]

Thanks Scally-Ho, Harry, and Stuckinarut.

Yes I have the location for the stop tap in the street and I have the right tool to close it off. Slight complication... I have two water supplies coming into my house - both shared with a neighbour either side. This one feeds the downstairs shower room and w.c. and an outside garden tap. Whereas the other supply feeds my loft tank, kitchen taps, bathroom etc. The water company (Aglian Afinity). Want to fit smart meters... I think they'll have to turn off the water whilst they do that and they'll have to fit them so each house has its own independent supply - they are coming round to do a survey and I am going to check it out with them and arrange to do my work whilst they turn off the water when fitting their meters - that way if anything goes wrong they/I can shut down my water without impacting my neighbour - whereas at the moment if I broke that pipe accidently and had to turn off the main street supply then my neighbour would also be without water.

 

[disidicky]

Hi, if they do it properly, once in you should end up with a new blue water pipe (sometimes black, not sure why) and a new isolation valve.
They should also 'disinfect it' overnight before fitting back up.
Really what you want to do is rip out ALL the rusty steel work inside upto decent copper.
You could install any new pipework along side the old ready for when its being done.

 

[DB1]

Hi, if they do it properly, once in you should end up with a new blue water pipe (sometimes black, not sure why) and a new isolation valve.
They should also 'disinfect it' overnight before fitting back up.
Really what you want to do is rip out ALL the rusty steel work inside upto decent copper.
You could install any new pipework along side the old ready for when its being done.

Hi,

Thanks. I have a survey booked - they initiated this to fit new smart meters. When they come out to do the survey I'll ask about my feed from their supply into the house. I'd prefer to change it and hopefully can arrange that to coincide with their work. It will require some digging and breaking through a cement path between our house and the neighbours in an alleyway. If I can arrange that then the stuck stop cock problem is solved. But at this stage I don't know for sure what their plans are with the smart meters and the complication of the feed going to both my house and the neighbours. So I've bought a compression coupler as Scally-Ho suggested above, but I'll wait to the survey before doing anything - its not until August!

 

[Scally-Ho]

Hi, if they do it properly, once in you should end up with a new blue water pipe (sometimes black, not sure why) and a new isolation valve.
They should also 'disinfect it' overnight before fitting back up.
Really what you want to do is rip out ALL the rusty steel work inside upto decent copper.
You could install any new pipework along side the old ready for when its being done.

Oh yeah? .. .. My area is served by Portsmouth Water and they would not know how to :shakes-head: A few minutes running is good enuf for them