is this the main valve for water?

[LLL]

Is this the main valve for water before it goes to my house? it is at the corner of my driveway and I found it is rusted and I can't open the lid, I tried WD40 for a few days a few times but was still not able to open, does anyone know if there is a leakage within the house, how can I switch off? I know there are valves for each tap but how about the pipes before that? 

 

I found the whole metal stuff (including the lid and the bottom) is wobbling if I pull the lid, is it something safe to remove to see the valve? 

[Marvin]

Yes. Its hinged on the wall edge. Big screwdriver and lever it up.

 

Bit like this one??

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255524120508?_ul=GB&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5339019733&toolid=10001&customid=eb%3Ag%3Avms%3Aeb%3Ap%3A255524120508%3BCjwKCAiA-ty8BhA_EiwAkyoa31hSpmtJ-06n81XFdKNi34HeDPH1_uq_LIPxXjFQgf8kl1g8ULfy0hoCgZUQAvD_BwE&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1B2RxDHdNRE-rKvLM5Z3asA36&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA-ty8BhA_EiwAkyoa31hSpmtJ-06n81XFdKNi34HeDPH1_uq_LIPxXjFQgf8kl1g8ULfy0hoCgZUQAvD_BwE

 

Not attached to pipe. hole probably full of soil...

 

I use a BIG screwdriver on these.... not a problem if the whole thing comes out.

 

You can use contact the waterboard and tell them that you can't turn it off and you have a leak. However they may want to install a water meter...

 

Good luck

 

M

[ProDave]

With a decent plumbing install there is also an internal stopcock somewhere inside the house to turn everything off.  Start by looking in cupboards etc just the other side of the wall where the outside stopcock is.

[Russell griffiths]

If it’s rusted shut, then pull the whole thing out of the ground, it will be mounted on top of a big pipe you can get your arm down to reach the tap. 

[Conor]

Hit it really hard with a lump hammer. 

 

Or, phone your water company, say you've a leak but can't access your stopcock. Someone will be out sharpish. We did this, and they installed a new lid then and there.

Edited January 27 by Conor

[LLL]

thank you all for your quick replies. I am not confident about pulling the whole thing out since worried it is connected to the pipe and can damage it. But now it is good to know that is not connected, is there a pipe below this whole metal (including the lid) that reaches the stopcock? 

 

I also believe the stopcock might be also rusted. If I call the water company, do they charge anything? 

 

[Nickfromwales]

32 minutes ago, LLL said:

If I call the water company, do they charge anything?

If the lid is rusted and non accessible, you can ask them to replace it and this is almost always done for free.

 

There should be a second stop tap inside, as @ProDave says, so look for that and make a note of it so if you need to turn the water off to the house in an emergency you are not outside on your knees doing it with a hammer and a torch  

[LLL]

thanks again, just checked inside. There are two, the blue plastic one is under the sink, and it seems the size is for the dishwasher. 

Another one seems bigger in the cupboard where the boiler is located, is this one? I did not see any stopcock for the boiler if this is the overall stopcock, where is the one for the boiler?

Because the pipe is inside the wooden board, i cant see the size of the pipe, anyone can suggest? 

 

  

[Nickfromwales]

The blue one is for the appliance, the one near the floor is your incoming (main) house stopcock. If you need to turn the water off to the whole house, this (should) be the one.

 

Its a poor job for them to have built the cupboard over the blue tap, looks difficult to disconnect / reconnect if the appliance ever fails and needs to be replaced. You may want to make that hole bigger, and make a removeable cover (patch) to keep things looking tidy.

 

Something like a simple vent with 4 screws will suffice. 

 

LINK something like this.

[ProDave]

11 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Its a poor job for them to have built the cupboard over the blue tap, looks difficult to disconnect / reconnect if the appliance ever fails and needs to be replaced. You may want to make that hole bigger, and make a removeable cover (patch) to keep things looking tidy.

That was a bit more polite than I was about to post.  Something along the lines of "Oh no kitchen fitter strikes again"

[Nickfromwales]

Just now, ProDave said:

That was a bit more polite than I was about to post.  Something along the lines of "Oh no kitchen fitter strikes again"

Yup, indeed. I think the OP is translating to comment here, so I thought I'd keep to the basics  

[LLL]

Thank you for confirming that is the main stopcock. It is a big relieve! - if I want to try - turn it off and on for a minute just to test if it works, will it damage the boiler or I have to reset it (which I really don’t want to do it)?
 

The blue one indeed is a terrible design and what’s worse is below there is a similar one for washing machine, and one about the the tap, at least half is blocked by the board, last time I replaced a washing machine the most difficult thing is to cut off the water! I have to use a single finger push the bar to below the board, and I used at least 5 mins to turn it back! 

[jfb]

10 hours ago, LLL said:

Thank you for confirming that is the main stopcock. It is a big relieve! - if I want to try - turn it off and on for a minute just to test if it works, will it damage the boiler or I have to reset it (which I really don’t want to do it)?

Shouldn’t do. You could always make sure that when you are testing the tap there is no chance of the boiler calling for heat by turning down thermostat/not getting in the shower!