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Can't turn off my water

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wickywills

Hello,

I am trying to turn off the water supply to my Flat so that I can look at fixing the shower (currently dripping, but I believe I know how to sort it), however I have tried turning off what I believed is the main supply, however I still get running water in my flat. If you take a look at the attached image, I tried turning the valve with the yellow tag on it (my flat number), but I still get running water in my flat even when turned both ways.

There is another valve on the same pipe just above the meter, which you can see in the image, though this is pretty tight and I don't want to attempt to turn it as I have no idea what it is for (I know very little about plumbing, so please bear that in mind with any responses!).

Can anyone help me here? I would turn off the water supply to just the shower, but I can't find this, and I suspect it is built into the wall (apparently this can sometimes be the case!!).

Many thanks
James

IMG_0208.JPG
 
Hello James and welcome.
Yes, either of those should turn the water off to your flat, if it is number 14 and the labels are correct.

The top one may be stuck. it will take a fair amount of force by hand, without breaking.

Turn it clockwise to go off. All the way in till it stops but do not overtighten it.

When you open it again. Open it fully and turn it back to the right an eighth just so it doesn't stick again
 
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Start by making sure that the stop-cock you are turning actually serves your flat. Wait until a quiet time and read your meter. Then run off a measured amount of water, say five litres using a measuring jug, and go back and check that the meter has increased by the correct amount.

You realise that those valves will need more than a 1/4 turn to close? It'll take several full turns and they are likely to be quite stiff. Do not force them or apply more force than you can do with your bare hand.
 
hello and welcome to the forum,
Is your property feed via just mains water ? You may have a large tank in the attic which feeds the bathroom.
 
Thanks for the speedy replies! The bottom valve I tried closing fully but it did nothing, but I will give the top one a try in a bit and see what happens. Just wanted to check to make sure what it was before I tried to turn it off from the top one.
 
I just tried turning the one with the yellow tag a bit more, as it was a bit sticky. As I did this, water started to drip slowly from that valve, so I backed off slightly. I'm now hesitent to try the top valve as I'm afraid I'll break something! Water pressure has definitely decreased slightly in the flat, but I still get running water. Any ideas?
 
wickywills said:
I just tried turning the one with the yellow tag a bit more, as it was a bit sticky. As I did this, water started to drip slowly from that valve, so I backed off slightly. I'm now hesitent to try the top valve as I'm afraid I'll break something! Water pressure has definitely decreased slightly in the flat, but I still get running water. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
If you are hesitant then I believe it is a good time to get yourself a plumber in.;)
 
It would be the packing gland, I would think.
As Harvest says though, if you are this hesitant about the stopcock, are you sure you're up-to fixing the shower. I think you should consider getting a plumber.
If you can't get the shower back and you're relying on the main stopcock, you could end up with no water !!!

It's bank Holiday weekend !!
Plumbers are people too!
 
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