How far do I have to turn my stopcock before it's off?
Question:Trying to change a washer on a dripping tap, and have a stopcock under the floorboards. It just goes round and round with no noticable tightening, but the noise of gushing water through the pipes. I live in a flat and am anxious about my downstairs neighbour's ceilings!
Answers:
Some turn anti clockwise on a thread, and you need to turn it as far anticlockwise as possible. These usually have a tap like handle for turning them, or a small "wheel" type tap handle (often coloured red, black, or maroo ), the other type, need only be turned through 90 degrees so the part you actually turn (ususally an oblong handle type thing) is across not parralel to the pipe, check which type you have.
Until it can be turned no more!
have to keep checking the tap is the only thing you can do.
Four or five turns would normally close it completely. Sounds like the stopcock is broken and needs replacing - you will need a plumber.
have a close look at the pipework connection to the dripping tap. There should be a valve so you can isolate the tap rather than the whole flat
Mittobi sounds like he has ran into a few of these. the last type he is talking about sometimes don't have stopping point. horizontal with the line is closed and vertical is opened. Hope this helps.
That cant be the correct stop ****. No Plumber puts one under the floorboards, and being as it just keeps turning with no effect tells me it is a defunct stop ****. You must have one elsewhere in the building.
What you are describing is not a stopcock but an in line valve.
If it is then the answer is just a quarter turn.
Try letting the offending tap run slowly into a container if necessary then do as I describe. If no joy then turn off the tap and call a plumber
try a pair of mole-grips just below the handle and a load of wd40,have your cold tap switched on, so you know when it is off, failing that, you will have to find the main stopcock, outside the property and of course tell your neighbours you are turning the water off! good luck!
If the valve that you're trying to turn off just keeps spinning and doesn't shut off the water to the faucet it supplies then the valve is bad (it has what we call a dropped gate, where the piece that lowers down to shut the water off has rusted off and is no longer connected to the valves stem and handle), you'll have to replace the valve in order to repair the faucet.
It sounds like the head gear is damaged, you can get a replacement, but you will have to isolate the water beofre this stop tap.
keeping turning it until you cant turn it anymore
Taps turn til they're tight in both directions. One way is off and the other is on. If the tap spins round and round and doesn't tighten and doesn't turn your water off then it's knackered and you need a pro plumber or call your landlord. Water is very unpleasant when you can't turn it off.
Hi,
Sounds to me, that the cross head on the valve spindle is broken and is just spinning when you turn it, you probably need a new stop valve.
Be Safe, Skew.
Your stopcock sounds like its f**cked you will need to turn off the main supply probably outside your flats, and change the one inside your property
lots of love
A plumber.
Kaching
all the way
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