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Original poster

Please make sure all adults in your house know where the stopcock is.

65 replies

EastWestWhosBest · 19/08/2021 22:16

On Saturday evening I was in the kitchen when I heard water running upstairs.
I went into the hall to see water pouring down the walls coming from the bathroom above. The hot water pipe in the bathroom had burst.
We knew where the stopcock was but DH couldn’t turn it so there was much scrabbling to get a spanner to help turn it.
Thankfully we were able to turn the stop the water within a few minutes but there was still about half an inch of water on the floor.

It occurred to me that if we hadn’t have known where it was, or if I had been on my own and possibly unable to turn it, then it would have been a disaster.

So, this weekend then please check that everyone knows where the stopcock is and can turn it.

OP posts:
Aurorie11 · 22/08/2021 08:19

We only found ours about 10 years after moving in, previous owners had boxed it in! Prior to that we had to turn supply off at the meter

Mydogisagentleman · 22/08/2021 08:25

…and when you find it, turn it off, turn it on but leave it off slightly so it’s easier to completely turn off if necessary

Blossomandbee · 22/08/2021 08:30

This is something that doesn't occur to you until you end up in a situation, myself included. The pipe in our cloakroom sink burst a few months ago, typically when DH had popped out. Luckily it was the hot water pipe and it was the sound of the boiler firing up that alerted me to it. I had to ring DH as I had no idea how to turn it off. Luckily he answered and wasn't unavailable at work or similar otherwise I really wouldn't have known where to switch it off. Such a simple thing but it had never crossed my mind before.

MissMarpleTheMurderer · 22/08/2021 08:30

If you have an old boiler and tanks in the roof and a hot water pipe is leaking after turning off the stopcock run all hot taps as you need to drain them.

user1495884211 · 22/08/2021 08:37

@Bagelsandbrie
This is a good point that has also just occurred to me. Adults in our house know where the stopcock is but I'm not sure the children do and they are now of an age where they can be at home alone for a period of time so useful to know.

TheQueef · 22/08/2021 08:38

We learnt the hard way.
DS then 17, was alone in the house when the upstairs shower feed went.
We came home to our entire Tupperware collection, purposefully arranged through the hallway with DS on the step ladder using masking tape on the ceiling to hold back the water Blush
He's normally quite sensible so it was a shock.

BakeOffRewatch · 22/08/2021 08:44

@VienneseWhirligig

I don't know where mine is. DH knew but since he died, the location is a mystery. Same with the electricity mains - don't know where to switch off the electricity. I wish I had shown any interest in it at all - it never occurred to me. DS thinks he knows, so hopefully if I have any emergencies he can help out. I might get him to share the info with me though in case he's not around...
@VienneseWhirligig it will likely be on the Property Information Form from when you bought the house that the vendors have to complete. In section 13 of the TA6 form it asks for location of stopcock and location of meters. Sorry for your loss.
Purplewithred · 22/08/2021 08:50

When the neighbours’ cold water mains intake valve to their dishwasher split we discovered they didn’t know where the stopcock was, couldn’t turn it when I showed them as it was jammed, and that the water meter outside didn’t have the key thing you need to turn that either. It was a very wet morning.

dementedma · 22/08/2021 08:51

We dont have one. Have to turn the water off outside

dudsville · 22/08/2021 09:26

We had this a couple of years ago with a leaky pipe. I knew where ours was but I'd never accessed it before. It's nearly an adult's arm length down a narrow hole under a cover in the paving out front and was as stiff as anything. I was lucky to find a neighbour who, having a similar set up, showed me the tool he'd made for this exact problem. We have made one now.

Oldraver · 22/08/2021 09:36

If you have a fairly modern house with a pressurised system you can turn the hot water off two ways. With the cold incoming stopcock (the one that is usually undet your sink) and also at the cold water feed into your hot water tank

DominicRaabsTravelAgent · 22/08/2021 09:39

You've just reminded my that my DF used to turn our off every time we went on holiday. It's just never occurred to me to do ours but I suppose it makes sense.

TheTurn0fTheScrew · 22/08/2021 09:41

thanks for the reminder - it's not something I'd thought of discussing with my DC, but they're teens/preteens and left alone. It's such an easy intervention, and ours is sensibly placed after we moved it from behind the washing machine when had some work done.

TeacupDrama · 22/08/2021 09:41

Until you find stopcock turn everything on in the house so as much water as possible goes in sinks baths and showers

Oldraver · 22/08/2021 09:42

It's also worth giving it a bit of a service ever year , turn off WD40 on it and turn on again, and yes to not completely turned just knock it back a little. It shouldn't be so stiff if you ever need it

dworky · 22/08/2021 09:51

The main one coming into your property (rather than any secondary ones) and make sure you can turn it. If it hasn't been accessed for a while it will be stiff & need coaxing with pliers.

BalloonSlayer · 22/08/2021 09:53

We had similar, a flood caused by dh incompetence (another story), didn't know where stopcock was, found it, couldn't turn it, luckily NDH was a plumber and helped.

We now have a big blue switch called "Surestop" or something. Much easier, except as it doesn't look like a stopcock, I could imagine in an emergency you might just not "see" it.

PissedOffNeighbour22 · 22/08/2021 10:00

@LookToTreblesGoingTreblesGone we have this issue! We moved in February and it's still not sorted. They've been absolutely useless- the last we heard they'd sent someone to dig a hole but there was no pipe in it so they filled it back in and sodded off. But they didn't bother to tell anyone they found nothing, so now we have to start all over again waiting for a contractor to dig a random hole then fill it back in.

susiella · 22/08/2021 10:05

I used to live in an old, small terrace of 6 cottages. I knew where the stop cock was! We had a small leak under the sink one morning. I rang a plumber, then turned the water off at the stop cock and went to work. Came home at tea time to meet the plumber and all 5 disgruntled neighbours. Turned out the stop cock was for the whole row, so no one had any water that day!

LaMadrilena · 22/08/2021 10:17

My parents' is randomly under the floorboards just inside the front door. I had to call my brother when I was there on my own and water was pouring through the landing ceiling. Turned out to be accumulated rainwater anyway so no help!

WaterBottle123 · 22/08/2021 10:25

@WillaWeatherspoon

I didn't know until earlier this week that DH not only had no idea where the stopcock is in our house, but didn't even know what one was! I've educated him now Smile
@WillaWeatherspoon

Yes I asked DP to turn the water off overnight as we had a very minor leak that we couldn't change towels/bowls for overnight and he had no idea what to do!!

Now educated, I ALWAYS know where my stop cock is!!!

TheWayTheLightFalls · 22/08/2021 10:29

YANBU at all, but all I can hear is "Oh dear, oh dear, it's ruining your mother's floor!" from the Alfie book.

Original poster
EastWestWhosBest · 22/08/2021 10:58

@susiella

I used to live in an old, small terrace of 6 cottages. I knew where the stop cock was! We had a small leak under the sink one morning. I rang a plumber, then turned the water off at the stop cock and went to work. Came home at tea time to meet the plumber and all 5 disgruntled neighbours. Turned out the stop cock was for the whole row, so no one had any water that day!
That reminds me of our last house. It was a little terrace house too. We had a chap from the water board come out to fit a water meter. He checked the water in the kitchen and the bathroom and then asked if we had anything else that used water. We told him we had a outside loo. He checked that but couldn’t find out where the water for that was coming from so we couldn’t have a water meter.
OP posts:
HagridHair · 27/09/2021 23:48

So true! We had a leak today I ran down to the basement to turn the stop cock off and it wasn't the water pipe it was the roof and the ceiling collapsed anyway :(

Feelingoktoday · 27/09/2021 23:54

I know how to turn it off at the meter in the middle of the pavement outside the house. I don’t have a stock cock in the house.