When my house was built by Wimpey in 1969, they used an unusual type of stopcock for turning off the mains water inside the house. Although my stopcock is very similar in design to your normal type of stopcock, it just has a slot for a screwdriver at the end rather than a handle. Unfortunately my stopcock has not been turned off for several years and, as a result, it has become jammed and I have found it is impossible to close it with a screwdriver. The ideal solution would be to find a wrench that can really grip on to a round cyclindrical metal surface (about 7mm diameter) without slipping. If I could find such a tool, I could use it as a kind of temporary handle to apply some real force to turn the stopcock off. Does anyone know of a wrench or tool that would be effective for such a job please?
2007-09-02 00:18:07 · 4 answers · asked by Mickle 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
Thank you very much for all for your ansers, I am most grateful. With regard to turning off the mains water outside, there are 4 identical stop valves at my front gate and I do not have a clue which one connects to my house. Furthermore they all have such a build-up of sediment in their guard pipes that I doubt very much if any of them have been turned off for many years and they could, as a result, be very difficult to turn off. As for the freezing option, the indoors stopcock is in such a cramped awkward position that I would have to rip out kitchen units to get at its plumbing properly. The vice-grip wrench does sound interesting and I may give one a try. But I suppose for a real DIY novice like myself, the best option is probably to call in a plumber rather than attempt something that could rapidly turn into an absolute disaster. But thank you all again, I really appreciate it.
2007-09-03 00:12:56 · update #1
get a plumber to replace this with a conventional shutoff valve.
2007-09-02 00:28:56 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The wrenches that plumbers use are designed to grip on round pipes so they could do that.
I think a better approach is to look at the valve's plug on the side opposite that slot you are examining. What you should see there is the nut that holds the plug in place. First turn off the main valve to the house. Then put a standard open-end wrench onto that plug's nut and turn it counterclockwise to loose it. Then tap the end of the plug with a mallet to move it up toward the pipe. Since the plug is tapered a little bit of slack should get it pretty loose. Now try to twist it. Once you have it moving, turn it to shut off position and retighten the nut for normal turning.
2007-09-02 04:36:50 · answer #2 · answered by Rich Z 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
once they get that bad, there is little hope of them working correctly anyway.
pop along to b&q and get a new stopcock and replace it - thee must be another one further back -ie outside your house somewhere? if not, when you buy the stopcock also buy a freezer pack. this chemically freezes th water in the pipe to prevent a flood while you change the stopcock "live"
Good luck my friend
i know what you are going through - plumbing is not my top diy favourite!
2007-09-02 00:28:44 · answer #3 · answered by andy t 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A set of Vice-Grips will hold and turn something that small without slipping. They're kind of like a set of adjustable pliers with a locking lever.
2007-09-02 00:29:29 · answer #4 · answered by Crocodile Jim 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋