Bloody stopcocks.....

Discussion in 'Plumbers' Talk' started by Tangoman, Mar 2, 2004.

  1. Tangoman

    Tangoman Well-Known Member

    I have two water mains running through my kitchen. One for me, one for the flat upstairs - I need to move them both - got the water company out to locate the stopcocks, after about 2 hours of searching (they had to dig two up and then my stopcock turned out to be in the flood pit, where the engineer insisted it couldn't be) found it together with one next to it, which he suggested was the flat above. Having turned all the other stopcocks off, and he had been all over the place with his metal detector and found nothing else it seemed sensible. Problem is mine was ok - Moved and replaced my stopcock, now need to move the neighbours (have their permission incidentally) but having tryed every f***g stopcock in the street, there supply remains constantly on.
    So the water board are coming back out again to "locate" their stopcock.
    Thing is I think it is the one next to mine, but for some reason it is non-functional. It's one of the old type that displays a square nut at the top. It turned (clockwise!) all the way and ground to a slow halt as you would expect from normal function, but appeared to do bugger all - i.e. it was off for 5 hours and nobody complained!

    Anybody ever come across anything like this. For the time taken to cut the pipe and jab on a new stopcock is it worth me asking the water company to turn off the master valve for 5 mins?

    The engineer from the water board recommended I get some pipe crimps and crimp it closed (it's 20mm Black pipe), while I work, but Plumb Center told me that the tool required for this is a 2 ton press! They also recommend against freezing this type of pipe. So I'm stuck with the options of waiting for the water board to come up with an answer, or working live (which I really Really don't want to have to do!)

    Any ideas, thoughts, suggestions...., sympathy? would be welcome!
    Cheers -
    Tangoman
     
  2. hi,

    dont cut the pipe it will be under alot of pressure wait until the boeard come back to you with the advise,
    bfn
     
  3. Tangoman

    Tangoman Well-Known Member

    No fears there!
     
  4. chris@vietec.com

    chris@vietec.com New Member

    If the pipe is a black poly pipe you have been misinformed by Plumbcenter, you can use a squeeze off tool, it is like a clamp, they are not easy to come by, but I would think the water companies would carry them, I used to contract to Anglian water and we were issued with one, had to give it back when I left, but you certainly would not need a 2 ton press for 20mm poly
     
  5. Tangoman

    Tangoman Well-Known Member

    Thanks Real Plumber - I'll ask the engineer when he comes if he's got one - he's far more likely to acquiesce with that than switching off the whole supply. Only problem is access to the pipe. How big is this clamp?
     
  6. chris@vietec.com

    chris@vietec.com New Member

    Quite small, about 75mm wide x 100mm high and only about 20mm thick like a steel rod
     
  7. Tangoman

    Tangoman Well-Known Member

    Sounds perfect! Thanks Real Plumber - I owe you.
     
  8. bilco

    bilco New Member

    You could use a decent pair of open nosed mole grips with two large sockets over the jaws
     
  9. chris@vietec.com

    chris@vietec.com New Member

    Did the engineer have a sqeeze off tool
     
  10. Tangoman

    Tangoman Well-Known Member

    Not been yet - Well not quite true.
    Booked appointment for next wed -earliest they could do.
    Got home last wed to find they'd been - no-one home and gone again. Rang up to check date - confirmed as next wednesday. Left her to work out why he'd come today instead of next week and to make sure he comes back!
    Grrrrr
     

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