Main water valve, cannot find it

[Sarah.sco]

Hi there,

I have just bought a flat in an old tenement building in Edinburgh. I was trying to close the cold and hot water for the tap in the kitchen so i searched underneath the sink, but there are no valves attached to the two pipes that go in the tap. I have followed the pipes and they go through a wall in the storage room (I guess it was the place where the old water tank was stored) and then the pipes go underneath the floor. In the same storage room there is a hole in the floor with the thing in the pitures. Is that the main valve for the water supply? I have tried to turn clockwise but it is stuck, is there a way to turn it off? Another question is, how do i turn off the hot water? i cannot find any valve for it.
thank you so much.

 

[rpm]

A hole in wood with something behind it is usually a sign of an isolating valve but I can't make out from the pictures.
How did you try and move it, with a screwdriver?

 

[Aire]

Bs2580 as printed on the side of the valve handle conforms to plug cocks for underground cold water services. So yes it's quite possibly the valve to isolate your incoming main, and it's likely seized as it's probably not been moved in a long time.

 

[Sarah.sco]

Bs2580 as printed on the side of the valve handle conforms to plug cocks for underground cold water services. So yes it's quite possibly the valve to isolate your incoming main, and it's likely seized as it's probably not been moved in a long time.

Thank you Craig. How can I change the kitchen tap if I cannot close the cold water and hot water. Is there any possibility to get the valve to work again? Thanks

 

[Aire]

You could spray it with a penetrating fluid like wd40 and carefully try to close the valve, you have to be careful though as you can snap the spindle.

If your in a flat, does the building have a main water service to isolate the whole building?

 

[Sarah.sco]

A hole in wood with something behind it is usually a sign of an isolating valve but I can't make out from the pictures.
How did you try and move it, with a screwdriver?

It is a laminated wood floor. I have tried to spray WD40 and turn with a pliers, but it doesn't move at all.

If your in a flat, does the building have a main water service to isolate the whole building?

I guess there is one, but there are 15 flats in the building and i don't know if i can take the water away from all. Can i contact the water supply? (which means Edinburgh council or Scottish water?)

 

[Aire]

Does the building have an owner you could contact first?

 

[Sarah.sco]

each flat has an owner. I suppose we all own the building.

 

[WC1]

Good excuse to chat to new neighbours?

 

[Sarah.sco]

Good excuse to chat to new neighbours?

true

 

[WC1]

There might be a "knack" to turning it. If not you're probably going to need to switch off the building and put in a stopcock.

 

[AMGasServices]

Do you have a communal meter room? Have a look in there.

Are you on a water meter? If so there should be an isolation valve near that.

Finally I assume you pay a service charge to the company get them in to investigate.

 

[Sarah.sco]

Do you have a communal meter room? Have a look in there.

Are you on a water meter? If so there should be an isolation valve near that.

Finally I assume you pay a service charge to the company get them in to investigate.

Yes, in Edinburgh you pay an amount for water to the Council based on the size of the house. So there is no meter for private, just for shops etc...
I don't know if in Edinburgh the company in charge is the council or Scottish water. That is what i would like to know in order to contact the correct people.
Thanks.

 

[king of pipes]

Any quality engineer will be able to sort you out it would probably mean removing the unit, I would use a electric freezing machine which forms a ice plug in the pipework enabling the replacement of the stopcock the only other option is to isolate the whole tenement block. Kop

 

[Sarah.sco]

Hi Kop, thanks for the information. It's going to be a big job so, they have to take out the laminated floor . The thing is that the bathroom in the flat is relatively new, maybe 4/5 years. Before the work in the bathroom, they had to turn off the water I think. Can a valve get stuck in this amount of time?

 

[Scott_D]

The valve you are looking at may not be in use any more

 

[Burger]

Hi Sarah,

Yes valves can seize in that space of time as they are not usually maintained or used. There could also be a stopcock located somewhere in the flat just not where you would normally expect. Usually, depending on design with flats it’s common to have one located externally to the flat in a duct with an access panel - although please be aware of any potential issues such as asbestos.

 

[king of pipes]

Quite possibly you could try getting it freed off but it is what it is and I know I would want to be able to isolate the water in a emergency in my property . Kop

 

[Sarah.sco]

The valve you are looking at may not be in use any more

Could be true, because the pipe coming from the kitchen tap and that valve on the floor they don't seem to be aligned. It's a one-bedroom flat (40msquare) so there are no many rooms to check. Where it's more likely to find it? But the pipes go underneath the floor so I can't check properly.

 

[Sarah.sco]

Quite possibly you could try getting it freed off but it is what it is and I know I would want to be able to isolate the water in a emergency in my property . Kop

I agree KOP, my first concern is if something happens. I want to be able to close the main water valve. Is it something that the previous owner should have done? It's been already over a month that I have bought the flat though.

 

[JTplumbingservices]

I agree KOP, my first concern is if something happens. I want to be able to close the main water valve. Is it something that the previous owner should have done? It's been already over a month that I have bought the flat though.

A water key should turn that.

 

[king of pipes]

I think this is something you will need to get sorted out maybe talk to your neighbours they may have a similar set up then employ a plumber for a day . Kop

 

[Sarah.sco]

Hi guys, I have found another pipe coming from the ceiling that splits: one goes through the wall in the kitchen and the other underneath the floor (see picture). Could be that the main water valve is in the attic? I am living in the top floor and above there is a communal space(never been there is too scary ) and then the roof.

 

[Burger]

I wouldn’t rule it out, I have seen them in new build care home with an access panel by front door which is where the main stopcock is located.

 

[Dake205]

The valve pictured is more likely to be a previous drain point, if it’s pointing towards outside look out window for an open ended pipe, what boiler is fitted as if it’s a combi you can switch cold supply off at boiler which will mean no hot water and then freeze cold side to change tap, Edinburgh tenements can be a nightmare and have several stopcocks for different parts within one flat, is there a cold water tank space above bathroom, there could also be mains pipework in hallway at high/low level feeding each flat, there will be a main isolation on street level but that will shut down either one or both sides of block, as advised have a word with neighbours they might be able to advise if they know where in their flat it’s located

 

[Sarah.sco]

I wouldn’t rule it out, I have seen them in new build care home with an access panel by front door which is where the main stopcock is located.

Thank you CBW1982 and to everybody. I have found a valve outside the front door. I didn't try yet, but I think it is likely to be the main water valve. It is in between gas pipes.

 

[king of pipes]

Certainly looks like a stopcock all you can do is try isolating it and see what it does best of luck . Kop

 

[Rob Foster]

Pay an experienced plumber to just look around for a hour, or ask your neighbours who they use and call them ...they might know things from past experience. Rob Foster centralheatking

 

[Maryplumb]

Hi Sarah
First of all don't touch the plug cock under the floor. It is the old scour cock (=drain cock) for the hot water cylinder. It allows the water in the cylinder to flow away into the drain. If your cylinder is still in place and you open that, you will be unable to heat the water as the cold tank will constantly be running into it. If the cylinder has been replaced as you seem to be saying there is a risk that the lead pipe has not been blanked off and you could leak on the neighbours below. It has nothing to do with the main supply.
Your main water stopcock will originally have been at high level where the mains water from the lead riser ran into the cold water tank. If you are in a top flat it could have been in the roofspace, otherwise most likely above the bathroom.
If you still have a cold water tank that is the place to look (the lead riser ran up the building and each flat had a branch at high level, you will only have a branch lower down if you are a top flat and the riser has been altered, or if the high level branch has been run downwards to supply taps). As you rightly say, a stopcock on the riser would turn off any flats above you, so that has never been normal practice. The stopcock which does turn off the whole tenement is under the road, called a Toby cock.
I don't know whether you have some reason for not contacting an Edinburgh plumber but that's who you need, not Scottish Water.
Most of us give free estimates and would locate the stopcock for you in the course of the examination.