Re: No stopcock

[David W.E. Roberts]

I'm just about to fit my kitchen, but I don't appear to have a working

> stopcock. The ancient one embedded in the kitchen wall is jammed solid and > doesn't even have a handle, just a twisted up chewed shaft about to drop > off. It is jammed in the mostly off position. > > I can't find a street stopcock. There is an almost rusted away inspection > plate in my front garden. Opening it up reveals a clean brick lined shaft > down to earth below. No sign of a tap under it. If there is one, it is well > and truly buried (and probably rusted away). Mains supply looks to me like > cast iron. Certainly not plastic or copper and doesn't look like lead to my > inexperienced eyes. Looks sort of metal but with dimples, sort of Hammerite > like, but unpainted (or painted very matt black). > > Ideas? > > Christian.

I think your best bet is to try and excavate the stop c*ck in your front garden.

If the brick lined shaft is less than an arms length then hopefully you can get your arm down ( but you may find yourself excavating with a teaspoon).

If the shaft is too deep, then bite the bullet and dig around it - you need to be able to turn the water off in an emergency so this does need fixing. If it is the water board's stopcock then presumably they should fix it. If it is yours then the water board need to turn the water off for you whilst you replace or fix it.

There may be a stopcock under the pavement (if tarmac, then it could be buried). Metal detector could be the only way to find this. I presume the water board would know, and if the stop c*ck is buried then it is probably their responsibility to unearth it.

For the inside tap, you are snookered unless you can disable the mains. The only way that occurs at the moment is to use a freezing kit on the mains input prior to the stop c*ck, cut out a length of pipe and fit a new stopcock. Then remove the old one and redo your pipes. However this is well dodgy as if you get it wrong you have a gusher and no way to stop it.

HTH Dave R

[IMM]

If the existing pipe is lead the they do it for free in most areas.

>

[John Stumbles]

even if you can't get your arm to the stopcock you might still be able to probe through the muck with a long-handled stopcock key (probably crutch type - like a U on the end of the shaft) and find it and turn it off. It won't be rusted away: they're built to last in the ground like this.

When you've got it turned off you may be able to repair the inside stopcock - unscrew the main hexagon part of the tap head and replace the washer (or replace the head if you have one that'll fit off another stopcock or tap).

-- John Stumbles

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[Dave Baker]

The stopcock will be under the earth in the brick shaft. They always fill up with silt and debris. The waterboard man will have a scoop thingy to clear it out with. A stick and a wet and dry vacuum cleaner will do just as well.

Dave Baker - Puma Race Engines

I'm not at all sure why women like men. We're argumentative, childish, unsociable and extremely unappealing naked. I'm quite grateful they do though.