A few of my jobs this week have required switching off the water in the customer’s house. Stopcocks – also known as stoptaps or stopvalves are usually located beneath the kitchen sink but, particularly in older properties, can often be found in the hallway, pantry or basement. In two of the properties I attended this week, the stopcock was easy to find – one under the kitchen sink and one in the utility room.
Wednesday’s job – the customer was a tenant who had recently moved into the property. Therefore, he had no idea where the stop was located. We called the letting agent – they didn’t know and the landlord was on holiday. SO – the hunt for the stopcock commenced! I searched the obvious places such as the kitchen, cellar, bathroom – even under a hatch in the floorboards. Forty five minutes later, in the most unlikely place (in the garage, hidden behind a stack of furniture), i isolated the water supply and started on the job I’d been called out to do.
On this occasion, locating the stopcock was not an urgent requirement but there are some circumstances where it is essential to know exactly where it is. For instance, hammering a nail into a wall to hang a picture – there’s no sure fire way of knowing if a water supply pipe is likely to be damaged. In my experience, the peak time for plumbing call outs for ‘picture hanging/water pipe incidents’ is September to October when a new intake of students are excitedly moving into their new accommodation.
That well know phrase ‘hindsight is a wonderful thing’ is very appropriate with stopcocks. Admittedly, it’s unlikely to be he first thing you think of when moving into a new house or flat. If you’re buying a property, establishing the location of the stopcock should be within your list of questions to the vendor. In the event of a burst, being able to isolate the water supply is essential if you are to minimise damage to property and belongings.
My advice regarding stopcocks/ stoptaps is
find it as soon as possible
check that it works. Quite often, the mechanism can seize up due to lack of use and being located somewhere damp such as a cellar. If it is stuck, don’t be tempted to force it. You need to call a plumber to fix or replace it. Similarly, if the stopcock itself is leaking, you will need a plumber – this is quite urgent as the dripping water could cause considerable damage to floorboards and joists.
The Plumber, Blackpool can help with water isolation. If you find the stopcock is inaccessible, an additional isolation valve can be fitted in an easy to locate and reach spot.
