On a completely different topic from my last question (and hopefully with mistaken posts by myself)...
I have a stopcock that is stuck solid. On taking the wheel off I can see the shaft is gunged up with limescale of go knows what vintage. I suspect this is a job for a plumber with a freezer kit, but does anyone have any suggestions?
Cheers,
Ben
If you go the plumber route (and others will give you advice on that), my experience may be useful.
I had a stopcock like that, two inches from the floor, pipe idappearing into floor. Maze of criss crossing pipes above it, all added at different times. I bottled out (don't mind plumbing usually).
My local water company (Mid Kent Water) had a fixed price deal for a full flow lever valve. Parts and labour - 80 quid. The guy who came did a brilliant job, tidying up all the other pipes too. Took him well over
3 hours, so I reckon I got my money's worth. May be worth investiagting in your area. Or there's fancy 'flick a switch' ones too; water co. did those for a bit more.
If it's a wheel-head it's a gate valve which is usually (but not always) not a mains stopcock. To replace it will require finding and turning off the stopcock in the street. This may be shared between several houses if it's a victorian-era terraced.
Stopcocks don't usually have a wheel, they look like this
If you can move it, shut it off, insert proper stopcock, re open & leave it open.
Or turn the water off outside & replace it.
But are you sure its a mains stopcock?
this
There are two valves, identical as far as I can see, and both stuck. One isolates the header tank from the hot water cylinder, and one isolates my cold water pipes from the main 1.25" gravity fed pipe that then feeds other flats. The leverage you can get from the diameter of a wheel is limmited, but then again the last thing I want to do is crack the thing open and get very, very wet :-)
cheers,
Ben
Ben wrote
The problem is that if you're turning it with a big wrench, you won't know when it's shut, so you're likely to snap it. If you do attempt it yourself, have a tap running close by so that you an hear when it's shut.
Is the incoming pipe lead?
this
Hmmm...my reply seems to have got lost. Here it is again:
There are two valves, each as stuck as the other, and each with a wheel. One controls the flow from my header tank to the hot water cylinder, and the other the flow from the gravity feed (which also feeds other flats) to my cold water pipes. Both shafts seemed gummed up with limescale. The leverage available from a small diameter wheel is limited, but I am nervous about applying a greater moment and risking getting very wet indeed...
Ben
Spray both with WD40 or Plus Gas & try a small turn each way, then spray again, leave, turn etc.
After a few tries they should free up, softly, softly catchee monkey....
The pipes are copper at the point where the valves are. I was also worried that if the valves were scaled up enough they might fail before they would unscrew...
Ben
Ah, that is not a stopcock in the true sense (i.e. what you find on the incoming high pressure main):
What you describe sound like gate valves:
The best course of action is to replace them with full bore leaver ball valves:
If the gate valve has failed isolate your water supply drain down the tanks and remove valve,and refit a new service valve,gate valve that have seized seldom release and often snap when to much force is applied .
Oh dear. I can drain the tank in one case, but not in the other. It sounds like a job for a plumber with a freezer kit...
Ben
On 14 Apr 2007 02:00:25 -0700, "Ben" mused:
You should have a stopcock somewhere else, under the kitchen sink, out in the road\pavement, in some boxing somewhere.
A reasonable plumbers merchant will sell you a tapered rubber bung. YOu reach in the tank and stuff it into the outlet pipe. Much simpler than draining down. In extremis, a carrot will do!
Dead rats too.
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