Seized Stopcock - I'm sure you all need a laugh.

[Regulus]

Hi Guys,

Just checking over a rental property I own, usual stuff,
Door & Window locks Ok
Smoke Alarm Test ok.

StopCock ........Ah

Won't budge,
Tried the easy stuff, bigger spanner, WD40.


Checked in the street, Water Board Stop, only every 3 or 4 houses, none near mine, just my luck.

Ok so tried went back in tried a bit harder,
Noticed that the spindle turns about 1/4 turn, but so does the Gland Nut, then it seems to stick either way.

Left some WD40 on but not hopeful.


I was wondering, if the spindle turns and the gland nut turns, is is possible that only the Gland nut is siezed to the spindle. If so I could carefully undo the spindle and glandnut till its out far enough for me to hacksaw the Gland nut off, remove the Tap handle and slide a new Gland nut (from a new stopcock that I'll buy, any chance the threads might be the same) on and repack it with PTFE tape.

OK guys, so (if this is bllocks) when you stop laughing, would appreciate your comments, and yes if then news is all bad, I will call in a plumber.
First I have to satisy my masochistic tendencies.



But its gonna be a b*tch, older property, pipe is buried in the wall don't know wether the pipework is copper lead, iron. ?? No access to a water board valve, no access to any pipes to freeze anything, bl**dy hell ????


Ta
D

wow the decency/sensorship levels a set quite high on this forum, is this to cater for your average plumber, or maybe more likely your average DIY'er with fresh spanner rash.

 

[kevplumb]

Ok so tried went back in tried a bit harder,
Noticed that the spindle turns about 1/4 turn, but so does the Gland Nut, then it seems to stick either way.

try warming it up

then put a spanner arross the handle and another one on the nut

 

[ChrisR]

First thing I'd do would be heat it. The gland nut will unstick from the shaft easily - clean the shaft.
After that and careful trying, anything can happen. It can snap off at any point, at more than one place in the tap!
Worth talking to your water supply co to see what they think their resonsibilities are, and where they think the iso valve is, if you have one.

Your wd40 isn't getting to the really stuck part, by the way, which is wet.
If you get the water off, get a British stopcock with female threaded ends. For some reasoin those often have the same thread holding the tap together as the old ones, so you can swap the guts. The cheapo compression s/c's are made in junkland and have different threads.

 

[Regulus]

Hi Guys

Quick update, thanks for your replies, really appreciate them.

So having ascertained that even Garth wouldn't be able to turn this stop cock off, cleaned off the plaster and paint, back to the housing nut, and called in reinforcements.

Plumber had a quick look, measured the housing nut, checked in his van for a similar one.. got one yep ok good.

Then tried to turn off the street stop cock which we think does about 3 or 4 houses, and said.....
"Nah mate street cock is seized, and being as I just broke my own and had to get the water board out to replace it, don't want to take any chances"

So.....I ring the water board, helpdesk bimbo, says your plumber is not supposed to touch our stopcock, so they will send a man out to turn off next monday, and after our plumber does his bit I can make an appiontment to have it turned back on again. I said that seemed a bit strange as it means not only our's but a few houses will be without water for a good while, but thy insist the stopcock will only turn off our water.

So we wait and see,

Thanks again guys, will update more next week.
D

 

[Regulus]

Hi All

So .....

Water board man arrives, and says we do have our own stopcock, so we look all over and.... eventually find it in our back yard, under an old butlers sink that was being used to grow herbs in.

So he turns it off, we call the plumber who was on standby (very good of him).
He turns up with his replacement stopcock, but..... when he removes the old inards it doesn't match, aargh. But back to the van fetches in half a dozen different stop cocks strips them down and bingo, get's a match.

So swap it over, turn on the water check for leaks, and hey presto were up and running.


So two visits, about 40 mins in total, plus a stop cock and vat, total cost £41. Pretty damn good.

So well done Steve from Plumb-Local.

And thank you guys, your predictions on the fix were exactly right.


Cheers
D

 

[Nige F]

Plumb- Local...that`s a franchise So let`s hear it for Steve

 

[ChrisR]

Well done Steve, but I can't see how anyone can make 2 visits for that price and stay in business!

 

[Regulus]

Must admit I was pleasantly surprised, but then the first visit didn't really add any value. Suppose there's a bit of swings and roundabouts, if we'd found the stop cock durng the first visit, he'd have made a bit more.

And he was working "round the doors" as we say up north, ie he was nearby ie minutes away. Charge out rate was £65 and hour, no call out fee.

Ok and while I'm on, credit where its, due, sincere apologies to the helpdesk "bimbo" who was exactly right , and the waterboard who used their divining rod to track down their stopcock "on my premises" Hmmmm.

And hopefully, Steve will get a bit of spin off business as I recomend him to all and sundry, as being reliable, fair and good value for money

Cheers Guys

 

[Nige F]

Divining Rod Told you all..and yet ye mocked