Hello
The internal stopcock for isolating the water supply to our house is leaking slightly and I'd like to open it up and replace the washer or maybe even replace the tap itself. Of course to do that I need to turn off the supply at the external stopcock.
After rooting around a bit I found what I presume is the external stopcock under a small metal cover in the garden. The actual tap is about 1-2 meters below the cover. I was going to get myself a long tool for turning this tap off, but someone advised me to be very careful since they can be completely seized up. Our house is 20 years old and (afaik) the external stopcock has never been used in that time.
I'm now worried that if I apply too much force to the tap then it will shear or crack leaving me with an expensive bill. Does anyone have any idea of how likely this is and any advice on the best course of action?
Thanks Pete