subject: The Easiest Way To Stop Your Water Supply [print this page] Tips on how to Cut Off The Water Supply Tips on how to Cut Off The Water Supply
Difficulty level
Intermediate
List of plumbing tools needed
Spanner
You may need a pipe wrench when turning off the supply outside
Approximate time for you to complete
This will likely be determined by the technique you need to use, however anything from Ten minutes to an hr
Level of risk
Low
Exactly why are we doing the work?
If your plumbing freeze in wintertime or if you discover a leak at your residence, you will need to stop the water supply to handle any maintenance. You'd also need to cut off the water present to handle work including changing a faucet or changing a sink.
How to do it
The method for switching off the water supply can vary depending on which supply you possess and at exactly what stage you need to cut the supply off. For most work throughout the home switching off the supply in the house will be sufficient.
Switching off the water supply inside your home
1. Identify the primary stopcock. This is usually a brass valve with a round handle and in most residences is found near to the point where the water pipe goes in the property - generally in the kitchen, downstairs WC or utility room. Turn this off to stop the flow of cold water into the residence.
2. First turn on every one of the taps to empty the existing water in the system.
You need to switch off all water to your home
1 If you do not understand the location where the stopcock can be found outside your home you will need to contact your water company for assistance. Most residences possess a water meter and stopcock located together, usually under a hatch near the road.
2. If you know exactly where your stopcock can be found, start by lifting off the cover.
3. You should be able to see either a handle or a valve with a steel flange over the top.
4. If you notice a handle, turn it as far as possible.
5. If you see a valve with steel flange, you will need to make use of a pipe wrench to turn it. Turn your valve simply by revolving it a quarter of a turn.
6. The water supply should now be cut off. Nevertheless, do not forget that there will still be water inside the house that you will have to drain by turning on all of the taps.
Did you know?
For several hundreds of years lead was the favoured substance for water plumbing, due to its malleability (this use was so widespread that the expression "plumbing" derives from the Latin expression for lead). There was a source regarding lead-related health problems in the years prior to health risks involving consuming lead were totally understood, yet inspite of the Romans frequent use of lead pipes they were seldom diseased by them. In contrast to other areas of the world where lead plumbing cause accumulation, the Roman waterhad a huge amount of calcium mineral within it, a coating of plaque stopped water contacting the lead itself
Wood made pipes were used in London and also elsewhere through the 16th and 17th centuries. The pipes were hollowed-out logs, which are tapered at the end with a tiny opening where thewater would pass through. The multiple pipes were after that covered together with hot animal fat
