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Seized stopcock


Russell griffiths

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Just now, Russell griffiths said:

I have a brass stopcock (see pic) its on a 32mm main any tips on freeing it. 

Or can I change the internal bits without disturbing the the connections to the actual pipe. 

Just thinking whilst it is not leaking it is a shame to disturb it. 

Ta very much. 

Let's have the pic lol. 

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Clean it up and slack off the gland nut a quarter turn with a decent proper sized spanner. 

 

This should let it move slightly and using a couple of bits of copper pipe over the ends of the stopcock ends will give you some leverage. 

 

When you get it moving, big squirt of dry lithium grease and tighten the gland nut back up carefully. 

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What @Onoff said. 

These things are pennies so why even waste the time. If you can't turn the supply off just put some shorts and a T-shirt on and get in there. :D

I changed an outside tap the other day with the mains stopcock nowhere to be found. I just reached around the corner of the building and started to loosen it out of the backplate. A few turns later the thing shoots across the back garden and it's like Niagra falls. I had the new tap PTFE'd ready to turn into the empty backplate but JESUS it was a battle. 

Have a swift pint and then get in there ;). A video of you changing it live would be priceless educational. 

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12 hours ago, Nickfromwales said:

What @Onoff said. 

These things are pennies so why even waste the time. If you can't turn the supply off just put some shorts and a T-shirt on and get in there. :D

 

If doing that in Scotland, I would recommend a dry suit.

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So if I go and get the new plastic one, what are the chances that the fitting lengths will be different and I will need a fancy adapter or something, or are they clever enough that they made the plastic ones longer so a bit of trimming is all that's needed. 

What you reckon @Onoff @Nickfromwales @PeterW

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12 hours ago, Onoff said:

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So it turns out the idiot designers aren't clever enough to work out old style brass stop cocks are 30mm longer than the new plastic ones, do they not make an adapter to lengthen the valve. Had to faff around adding a straight join just to add in a tiny bit of pipe. 

Oh how I hate unnecessary joins and potential leak points. ?

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8 hours ago, Russell griffiths said:

So it turns out the idiot designers aren't clever enough to work out old style brass stop cocks are 30mm longer than the new plastic ones, do they not make an adapter to lengthen the valve. Had to faff around adding a straight join just to add in a tiny bit of pipe. 

Oh how I hate unnecessary joins and potential leak points. ?

It's got to be a bad joint made terribly to leak tbh. These things are idiot proof very reliable and are buried underground just about everywhere without issue. ;)  

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10 hours ago, Nickfromwales said:

It's got to be a bad joint made terribly to leak tbh. These things are idiot proof very reliable and are buried underground just about everywhere without issue. ;)  

Yes to be honest I've never known one I've put in fail. 

I just hate additional joins if not needed. 

I thought I would have been able to buy the tap and a couple of adapters to make it a bit longer. 

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