Stop Cock Key

[JohnD]

I am lucky enough to have a stop cock outside the house (on my ground, not in the pavement) and when I found my indoor stopcock was too tight at the weekend, I levered the hatch open.

I discovered it has a square shaft, looked about 1". Is this a standard size, and can I easily get a key for it? I am in the Portsmouth Water area, if that makes a difference, and I should think the house is 1980's built. the stopcock does not look older.

As it is down a 105mm hole I can't see if it is tapered - it doesn't look it. But I also have a standpipe/fire hydrant down a bigger trap, where the shaft does look tapered. I don't expect to use this but it will presumably be handy if the house catches fire.

 

[Bahco]

Plumbers merchants will have one for around £8

 

[JohnD]

will it fit the hydrant too, if I want a fountain?

 

[Bahco]

I was thinking of the normal pavement stop cock which you turn off with a long key.

Worth asking your local PL merchant

 

[BoxBasher]

John,

I would make sure that it is a stop-cock and not a sluice valve.

If it is immediately next to, or damn near in-line with the hydrant (and the spindle is the same size) then it's likely to be a mains valve and shutting it will probably knock out your street, or at the very least cut the pressure.

 

[doitall]

John,

I would make sure that it is a stop-cock and not a sluice valve.

If it is immediately next to, or damn near in-line with the hydrant (and the spindle is the same size) then it's likely to be a mains valve and shutting it will probably knock out your street, or at the very least cut the pressure.

Nah, it will be a left handed thread if it's a Company stopvalve.

 

[BoxBasher]

Nah, it will be a left handed thread if it's a Company stopvalve.

Not neccesarily - most of our valves are clockwise close, neighbouring area (same company) are left handed close.

BS valves are clockwise close, then you have backhanded valves (unless the standard pattern for that area is anti-clockwise, then BS valves are classed as backhanded)!

Stems back to the days of little water companies/district water works, eash one wanted to be different to its neighbour. When the smaller comapnies were unified under district boards they could not all agree on which was the correct pattern to use so there is still no uniformity.

 

[ChrisR]

I have a Universal one like BES 7770
It has fitted everything so far!

 

[JohnD]

can I tell by looking at it?

 

[Teahead]

Just out of interest, when i had to turn of the water supply in the street for my last house i didn't have a stop cock handle but i found that the end of the handle for my trolley jack had a square hole in it which fitted the top of the stop cock in the street enabling me to turn it off,

Word of warning though. when the stop cock was latter turned back on the water wouldn't flow again as the valve had packed up internally could not be turned back on. a friend who works for three valleys said the fork inside the stop cock can break. We had to wait 4 days for anglian water to come out and replace the broken stop cock, the wife was not best pleased.

 

[JohnD]

Hee hee!

If that happens, maybe I could turn on the fire hydrant, let it squirt upwards, and take a slate off the roof above my cold water tank

 

[Teahead]

or you might just turn off the whole streets supply, i;m sure the water board will come out quicker if the whole neighbourhood is phoning them to complain of lack of water at 9pm when the've all exhausted the water in the cold water tank.

fill up the bath before you start so you can at least flush the loo when the cold water tanks empty