how to turn off plastic mains stopcock

[wetroom]

Hi,

Just took a look through the archives, and although there's lots of advice here on how to turn off the outside stopcock, none of it seems to apply to mine.

The one I'm trying to turn off at the moment looks more like a childproof container than a traditional tap or square section stopcock. The main part is a strong white plastic shaped disk, maybe 10cm across, with a black handle on the top which can fold down. On the top of the white plastic is a very slim hexagonal metal bolt head, maybe

30mm across, and only a couple of mm high. Revealed by a cutout in the side of the white plastic is a black plastic underbody, with lettering "ON". It looks like the white plastic should turn an eighth or sixteenth of a turn and reveal the word OFF.

Only one problem, it is adultproof. I can't turn it in any direction, can't lift it, can't get the folding handle to contribute anything useful, can't find any tools designed to help, and altough it's a good conversation started for meeting neighbours, no-one passing along the street seems to be able help either.

I would use the main internal stoptap rather than the outside one, but the internal stoptap is the component I want to work on.

Any advice would be much appreciated at this point...

Regards,

wetroomproject

[Malcolm Stewart]

You don't indicate whether your water is hard or soft. It's hard here in Milton Keynes. Last weekend I replaced two seized gate valves for the second time since moving here in 1982, and hardwater corrosion is a real problem.

I too have a form of plastic external stoptap installed along with the meter, and shortly after its installation I could turn it with ease. Equally, back in 1982-85 the stopcock in my house was easily operable, but no longer. Sorry I don't have an answer for your problem, but hard water really can be a problem.

[wetroom]

Thanks for the reply. The water here is fairly soft, and the outside stopcock was replaced by the water board probably only four or five years ago. I can't move it even fractionally. I'm sure there's some technique or some tool of which I'm unaware. Can anyone tell me the technique or tool required ?? Thanks, Doug.

[wetroom]

Someone must have some experience on these plastic stopcocks. The area is Gloucestershire. I can't be the only person who has been fitted with one of these. What's the secret to turning it off ? More force ? A specific tool ? A catch or locking mechanism I didn't see ? Just one reply from someone who's used one of these will mean I can get on with the job ! Thanks, Doug.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "wetroom" saying something like:

Is it the type that's recessed into a rounded rectangular chamber? If so, just a 90deg twist to the left to turn off.

[scaledup]

replying to wetroom, scaledup wrote: hi, I've just come across this question while looking for the same problem! Did you get a result at all? Regards, Peter

[Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)]

Who knows how old the original post was. I've never come across a plastic one. Its not a good thing to have, I have enough trouble with a metal one. Somebody needs to make a stopcock that after years of not moving can in fact be moved without breaking off the stem, or fracturing the pipe or that needs two adjustable spanners and half a ton of penetrating oil and limescale remover to shift. Brh humbug Brian

[scaledup]

replying to Brian Gaff (Sofa 2), scaledup wrote: Thanks, I agree, and have asked the water board to come out and show me how it works and where to find a key as none of the plumbers merchants have seen anything like it. The original post is from 2006 but it's literally the only reference online I've found after hours of searching for another stopcock like this one!

[Dr S Lartius]

Thames Water replaced 9 of our 10 40-year-old under-pavement stop valves on 2019 Dec 06. As far as I can see from above, the valves have blue plastic transverse crossbar handles intended to be turned by hand. Our plumber is expected soon, to replace 9 of our 10 40-year-old in-building stopcocks with nice new ones. We hope then to learn which stop valve is connected to which stopcock.

P.S. We don't actually know what Building Management asked Thames Water to do; but TW Customer Services do now know what is now needed.