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DIY | DIY
plumbing | Locate and isolate your water supply
Water enters the property via a pipe
which is connected to the main water supply, this is called the rising
main. This pipe normally has a stopcock outside of the property and
a stopcock is normally under the sink also. These are simply valves
which will stop the flow of water when closed. To close a stopcock
simply turn it clock wise and turn it anti-clockwise to open it. The
outside stopcock is very useful and you should familiarise yourself
with it.
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Below is a typical stop cock cover. |
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To open the cover insert a flat screwdriver and lever the
cover upwards, the stopcock is often about 2 feet 6 inches below
floor level. Often the stopcock is covered with water, sand
or other debris. Water is not a problem but any other obstruction
will prevent you from locating the stopcock and so will need
cleaning out. A stopcock key will be required to turn the water
on and off, these can be purchased for a few pounds or can be
easily made. |
This could be at the front or the rear of the property, in
old terraced houses it is not unusual for a stopcock to be located
at the end of the street, this normally isolates the whole street
when turned off, so be sure to tell your neighbours if you need to
isolate the supply there!
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The rising main cold water stop cock can be seen here between
the gas meter and the waste trap on the sink. |
Take a look at the stopcock underneath the kitchen sink and see what
pipe is below the stopcock, newer properties have plastic pipes. If
a lead pipe is visible (you can tell as they are dark grey, but become
shiny if scratched with a key etc.) Then it could be a good Idea to
have this pipe replaced. Lead pipes have been known to be detrimental
to health and can lead to a excessive build up of lead in the human
body, which has been linked to brain damage! If your supply pipe needs
replacing you should contact your local water company for advice.
Normally you are responsible for the pipe on your property, which
means that if you do all the digging and run a new pipe to the property,
the water company will come and connect it to the main supply as long
as all bylaws have been followed.
There are basically only two types of pipes in houses, either it will
be feeding a tap or will be part of the central heating system. Pipes
can be plastic or more probably copper, pipes vary in size depending
on what they are feeding. The main supply pipe to the property is
normally 28mm, the pipes which feeds the boiler and the bath taps
are normally 22mm, the pipe that feeds all other taps in the property
are 15mm. Small bore pipe is often used for central heating radiators
and can be 10mm or even 8mm.
Courtesy of Ultimatehandyman.co.uk
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