Shutting off supplies of water

[chriselevate]

Hi,

Here's a photo of my current DIY project in my ensuite...



I've got a couple of plumbing jobs I need to do and wondered if you could tell me how I can empty the pipes of water and shut off the supplies while I work on them?

1. There's a feed to the toilet next to the waste stack.
2. There's a hot water tap supply that's running down the house.

All I'm looking to do it to re-route these pipes into the wall so that I can put the toilet and sink back on wall and have the supplies coming from the walls rather than floor.

I've got an easy access point to my house mains water supply in the street. Previously when I've shut this off (to shut the shower down) I've still had a gentle flow of water coming from it.... is there something else I need to do?

And I've never had a go at doing hot tap supplies.... yet!

Thanks for your help.

 

[longdogs]

If you have a combination boiler then turning off at your main stopcock should be enough. I suspect though that you don't and that you have a cold water cistern in the loft and a hot water cylinder. You may have gate valves on the pipes, if so, try turning these off although they will probably be knackered ( don't force them) so to be safe; Turn off at the mains stopcock and tie the ball valve up in the cistern in the loft, Run all your taps and flush the toilet. Eventually all water should stop running. Depending on the layout of your pipes you may still find some surplus water if and when you cut into them so have some receptacles and some towels ready just incase

 

[longdogs]

Also, maybe your stopcock outside is not shutting off properly. If you say it's just a trickle of water coming through, then buy an isolation valve which can be put onto the pipe quickly, giving you control

 

[chriselevate]

Great.... thanks!

Yes it's a hot water tank and hold tank rather than a combi bolier.

The hot water tank looks in good condition and looks fairly new so I'll try to find some isolation valves on it as you suggested.

I'm guessing that there is therefore three supplies of water that I need to be getting to.....

1. Mains water.... which can be shut off in either the road or an isolation valve.
2. The cold water tank which I can tie the ball cock up with (like I do when I'm draining the heating header tank?) will need emptying using the kitchen sink, toilets etc.
3. The hot water tank which hopefully I'll be able to lock off using the valves on the tank in the loft.

Once all of these are shut off it'll be just the water in the pipes left?

Thanks

 

[seco services]

1. Mains water.... which can be shut off in either the road or an isolation valve.

doesn't your internal stopcock work under the sink etc ?

2. The cold water tank which I can tie the ball cock up with (like I do when I'm draining the heating header tank?) will need emptying using the kitchen sink, toilets etc.

if your shutting your mains off you don't need to tie the ballcock up
why drain the whole tank bung the outlets of the tank.

3. The hot water tank which hopefully I'll be able to lock off using the valves on the tank in the loft.

the gate valve for the cylinder supply is useally half way down the supply pipe in the airing cupboard.

 

[chriselevate]

There's a stopcock under the stairs but I'm pretty sure it's worn out becuase when I tried shutting off for the mains shower it wouldn't stop running.

I've turned that stop cock off and lifted the grate outside my house and used the special tool to shut that one off too.

I won't bother tieing up the ballcock then.

You say.... 'why drain the whole tank bung the outles for the tank'.... what do you mean by this?

I'll try to find the gate valve for the cylinder.... there is no airing cupboard the hot water tank has been relocated to the loft... it'll be on there I'm guessing?

Cheers

 

[seco services]

we use rubber bungs like these for bunging tank outlets saves time and all that draining down.

if you bung the tank outlets in the loft you won't have to shut the gate valve for the cylinder.
9/10 times gate valves are either seized or don't shut fully anyway.

and is that a wall socket i see on the wall to ?

 

[longdogs]

You say.... 'why drain the whole tank bung the outles for the tank'.... what do you mean by this?

Exactly why I didn't suggest it! I was assuming that the stopcock was not shutting off the water properly so tieing up the ball valve would make sure

 

[chriselevate]

Ahhh!!!

Very cool!

This may sound rude but..... where do you shove these? How many do I need? And can I buy them from a plumbing centre? What are they called?

I'm bound to get laughed at asking for rubber bungs! lol

So there'd be no need to shut off the one in the street of under the stairs with these?

Just shut off the h/w tank and use the bungs?

Cheers

 

[seco services]

bq do the bungs i showed you but their is others types all available from plumbers merchants
screwfix do bungs aswell.

just ask for rubber pipe bungs.

you still need to shut off your mains. and i would fix the internal stopcock at the same time.
you never know when you'll need it in a emergency.

and whats the socket on the wall doing there ?

 

[chriselevate]

Exactly..... what is the socket on the wall doing there!!! Arrgggghhhh! Stupid previous owners tiled over that hopping it would go away!!!

I've taken advice form here to cut it and put it into the stud wall, into the other room (the bedroom) which I've done now.

Right back to the water.....

I'm not having much success yet...

The stop cock under the stairs is not easy to get too hence the reason why I don't think I'll be replacing it.... here's a photo so you can see what I mean....



Right..... here's the tank.... are these the two holes that need bunging....



and



As you can see the water level is going down as I've drained the water out of the tank using the cold water on the bath.... I'll have to get these bungs though cos they sound a lot easier and quicker!

Now the kitchen sink has been dribbling for the last 20 minutes and still is..... any ideas?

And here's some photos of the hot water tank....



and



Any idea how to shut this off and stop it from emptying?

I can't find any taps on it.... only the pipe that's sticking up with a small device on the end with a small red nipple on the end?!

Cheers

 

[seco services]

forget the top hole thats the overflow.

and outlets will be in the bottom of tank.

one for the supply to cylinder. hw
one should be the supply for your cold to bath etc.

how many oulets in the bottom of tank ?

kitchen cold should be straight of the mains.

and that overflow outlet looks higher than the ballcock.

that small device on the end of a pipe is more likely a bleed valve.
follow the supply from the tank to the base of the cylinder is their any gate vales etc ?

 

[chriselevate]

Right.... the I just ran the H/W tap in the bath for 5 seconds and it stopped?!

Is there an automatic cut off or something on it because it was full of hot water only an hour or so ago.

Yes the kitchen sink tap is still dribbling quite a bit.... any ideas how to stop it?

Thanks

 

[seco services]

if your hw tap has stopped is the loft tank empty ?
if so then thats it you don't need to empty the whole cylinder as you hw supply comes out the top of the cylinder.
if water don't supply the base of the cylinder water can't come out the top.

you kitchen cold tap is controlled by your stopcocks.unless you repair the stopcoks then it will keep running.
so you may have to tie up the ballvalve in the loft tank so it don't fill or fit an isolation valve on the pipe to the ball valve so you can then turn on your stopcock and still have cold water at the kitchen tap.
providing all your cold taps upstairs are tank fed.