Where's my stopcock? Don't leave it until it's too late!

You never know when you might get a leak. If you spot a leak you will need to act fast to minimise water damage. Initially you might not know the cause of the leak. For example, it might be a mains water leak; or a leak from your central heating system; or a leak from a waste water pipe. So, your first port of call should be to turn off your mains water at the stopcock until you can assess the situation. 

When I visit homes to do plumbing work I am amazed at how many people don't know the whereabouts of their stopcock. In some instances the customer knows where it is but it is very awkward to access (boxed in or buried under lots of stuff!). I had one a few weeks back where I just could not access the stopcock at all because the kitchen fitter had put new units in the way.

Then there's the other problem. You know the location of the stopcock and it is easily accessible, and you think great. But you go to turn it off and it just doesn't turn as it's jammed, or it turns but doesn't totally shut the water off.

If for any reason you can't turn your stopcock off, you will need to locate the external stopcock (usually under a small metal grid on the pavement in front of your house). These can be a real pain to locate and to turn off - but I'll keep that for a future blog! Anyway, in an emergency you hardly want to start scrabbling about trying to turn the water off in the street!

I remember getting a call at 8pm during that really cold winter back in 2010. An elderly chap said he had water coming through his upstairs ceiling. First thing I told him was to turn his stopcock off. I was at his house well within an hour. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to locate his stopcock and subsequently the water had caused a huge amount of damage in quite a short time - as well as now being ankle deep in water, it had also got into the electrics and fused everything! So first thing was to isolate the water in the street, then make sure all the electrics were isolated, before finding that the leak was due to a burst pipe in the loft. I fixed the burst, located the internal stopcock (under the kitchen unit plinth!) and then called his daughter. There was no way he would be able to stay in a saturated house, with no heating (I seem to remember it was -5 degrees outside!) and no electricity.

I always remember this incident because I think of how much damage could have been avoided (or at least minimised) if he had been able to turn the water off quickly.

MY TOP TIPS

• locate your stopcock and make sure it is easily accessible.
• test your stopcock every six months to make sure it works. Remember: Clockwise is Closed.
• attach a label to your stopcock with the telephone number of an emergency plumber.

IF YOU GET A LEAK

1. Turn off your mains water at the stopcock.
2. If you know for sure it is a mains water leak, then open all your taps (hot and cold) to drain down the system.
3. Call an emergency plumber.

Most importantly, and this is my main point: don't wait until you have an emergency!

Too much choice? Advice on choosing kitchen taps.

The kitchen tap is used on average 10 times more every day than the bathroom tap. Choosing the right tap is very important. Here's some guidance to help you.

Question 1 - Do you have one tap hole or two tap holes in your kitchen sink?

If you have one tap hole then you will need to get a mono-mixer tap.

 If you have two tap holes in your sink then you can choose between a pair of pillar taps or a deck-mixer.

Question 2 - Do you want rubber washered (full turn) taps or ceramic disc (quarter turn) taps?

If you have particularly low water pressure then I would go for traditional rubber washered taps. The rubber washer can also be easily and cheaply replaced if your tap starts to drip in the future.

Ceramic disc taps are easier to turn on and off (just quarter of a turn for on and off) so are ideal for the elderly or those with arthritis. The ceramic discs are maintenance free; so if they do start to drip then the whole tap gland needs replacing which is of course more expensive than just replacing a rubber washer and it can sometimes be difficult to source the correct size gland for your tap.

Most manufacturers these days use ceramic glands in their taps, so you will have a greater choice of these than the rubber washer types.

Question 3 - How much do you want to spend?

Remember your kitchen tap is going to get lots of use. In the long run it isn't always economical to get the cheapest taps. There are lots of cheap imports these days (as with everything I suppose!) and you can get a cheap pair of pillar taps for less than £20. You will get a few years out of them before they start to drip, or the spindle gets worn, or the plastic heads split. In which case it's usually just a case of binning them and buying some new ones.

Personally, I always recommend getting a well known, quality brand like Bristan. Their taps are made in the UK (based in Tamworth) and come with a 5 year guarantee. Even if your taps fail after the five years you can give them a call and get the required spare part sent out to you. In the past I have managed to get spare parts for Bristan taps that were over 10 years old. Their advisors are very helpful.

Remember, if your taps are unbranded and made in a factory thousands of miles away the chances are you won't be able to get the required spare part. So although the cheaper taps also come with a guarantee it is difficult to see how this can be honoured.

and finally........
make sure you choose taps that are suitable for your water system. If you have very low pressure (usually your hot tap) then some mono-mixers may not give you a decent flow - so check before you buy!

....and just remember, if you decide to change your own taps, the most difficult part is getting the old ones off! That's where your plumber comes in!