Cutting in a stopcock live

[jonny5isalive]

Anyone got any advice for this. Got black plastic main going to stopcock that doesn't work then 15mm copper. No other isolation. Was going to use an Aladdin easy fit isolator but not got tool kit for it and local merchants said they tried it and it was ****. Saw Williams sells them when looking for stockist of toolkit. Any thoughts on how well they work Ray? Pipe freezer is waiting to be fixed.

Had different suggestions from different merchants on live fittings.
Got Isos from Philmac that been told don't need inserts, plasson that don't seem to need them but also had another merchants offer me four different inserts depending on the thickness of the pipe. No inserts seems ok as long as pipe is thick enough butt will only know that one its cut. One mate reckons its easy. Another's had enough trouble with doing it live to not want to touch it with a bargepole. And with no external stop tap its pretty committing once I start.

Cheers muchly Jon

 

[ShaunCorbs]

😀 the funs of bring a plumber and i would try the aladdin top side of stop tap first if not be prepaid to get wet, hope the kitchen/stop tap location is empty 😀

 

[kris]

Never used them to be fair so can comment , I don't own a freeze kit either ,, 20 years I've been in this game and never died a winter yet ,,, Outside dig it up , cut it live ,,, Soaked to the skin,,, Just kidding Go for a freeze kit on second thought lol

 

[Millsy 82]

Have you got enough room to get a clamp on the black pipe? I'm assuming it's alkathene or what ever it is.

I did some work with a kitchen fitter and he loved his clamp.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Never used them to be fair so can comment , I don't own a freeze kit either ,, 20 years I've been in this game and never died a winter yet ,,, Outside dig it up , cut it live ,,, Soaked to the skin,,, Just kidding Go for a freeze kit on second thought lol

only prob with a freezer if there is movement of water in the pipe it wont freeze 🙁

 

[stani]

If you can get 8-12 inches before the tap then use these brilliant kit

 

[ShaunCorbs]

^^^^ would never use one of them seen too many bubbles/splits caused by them

 

[stani]

Never had a problem with them

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Never had a problem with them

you must be one of the lucky ones 😀 or it might be coming round the corner 🙂

 

[AMW]

Never had a problem with them

Never had a problem either when I've had to use it

 

[Deleted member 7121]

Never had a problem either when I've had to use it

Me too use them most weeks

 

[tomplumb83]

Buy the adaptors, take the old one off, if they don't fit stick the old one back on and go to plan b....
Can you not get one onto the copper?
I bought a pipe freezer, had it for a year and never used it once.

 

[plumben]

If you can get 8-12 inches before the tap then use these brilliant kit
View attachment 22320

I was given one of these, never used it and its missing one of the bars, I've got a piece of bar as a replacement, but are they any good or only use in an emergency/last resort?

 

[stani]

Try it on a waste piece of pipe, I've used mine regularly, and not had any problems as have the other lads, it's there when valves don't work, when all else fails, it's like a lot of the kit we carry, don't use it all the time but it is invaluable when it's needed.

 

[lame plumber]

pipe squeezer is grand on mdpe, on old alkathene I am not so sure. Personally I would freeze it, it wont have any moving water if you dont flush the loo etc!, or try a co2 kit more exciting as you dont know when the plug will pop 🙂 re idoing it live, its no fun trying to fit the right insert with waterv going all over. Isnt there a valve in the street to turn off?

 

[gasmanrob]

Dig down in the garden cut in a philmac fitting that way you have plenty of time to do your thing if it's got high pressure dig deeper down and get a pump in there on a float operated switch (hire cost about £20) and you can take all the time you need then put a chamber in when reinstating, then do your internals

 

[Phil]

Who is it one here who changes stoptaps live wearing only his underpants?

ha ha ha...

 

[stevetheplumber]

live is no problem if its in a hole in the ground dont try putting fittings on the live pipe until the water is over it and you wont even get wet

 

[stevetheplumber]

Dig down in the garden cut in a philmac fitting that way you have plenty of time to do your thing if it's got high pressure dig deeper down and get a pump in there on a float operated switch (hire cost about £20) and you can take all the time you need then put a chamber in when reinstating, then do your internals

last thing you want is a pump once the water is over the pipe it doesnt spray every where

 

[gasmanrob]

No it just comes over the hole and across the lawn whilst your laying in the flower bed wrestling with brittle pipe and 4 bar of icey fresh water trying to figure out what insert to use

 

[Best]

Stating the obvious but, if you are shoving a new stopcock on live pipe, do make sure the new valve is full on & consider having a temporary pipe on its other end which is joined to a hose.
Keeps the pressure from the mains from pushing against you

 

[jonny5isalive]

Have you got enough room to get a clamp on the black pipe? I'm assuming it's alkathene or what ever it is.

I did some work with a kitchen fitter and he loved his clamp.

Loads of room. Just never fancied them. Always assumed if it was a bit brittle or old it would split. He used his on any Plastic pipe?

 

[jonny5isalive]

pipe squeezer is grand on mdpe, on old alkathene I am not so sure. Personally I would freeze it, it wont have any moving water if you dont flush the loo etc!, or try a co2 kit more exciting as you dont know when the plug will pop 🙂 re idoing it live, its no fun trying to fit the right insert with waterv going all over. Isnt there a valve in the street to turn off?

Valve on neighbours either side. The clean movable one doesn't isolate and the dirty rusty one is so rusty the chain holding the lid on feel apart in my hand so I left it alone.

 

[jonny5isalive]

Thanks for all the advice.

Bought a good variety of fittings to give me some redundancy if it went **** up. Then bottled it.

Managed to get the stopcock half turned off with concerted messing and cut a compression iso into the copper in the kitchen. Used the wet vac to sort the water. A bit seat of the pants as the bloody copper wouldn't take the nut or olive.

Not as seat of the pants as I felt all morning with the idea of cutting the alkethene live and not being able to sort it.

 

[jonny5isalive]

Stating the obvious but, if you are shoving a new stopcock on live pipe, do make sure the new valve is full on & consider having a temporary pipe on its other end which is joined to a hose.
Keeps the pressure from the mains from pushing against you

Plan was to use the stopcock open but the plastic ones I had weren't full bore so wasn't sure how that would work. Does the pipe and hose just get the water away from you or does it make the process easier as well?

 

[Best]

Plan was to use the stopcock open but the plastic ones I had weren't full bite so want sure how that would work. Does the Pipe and hose just get the water away from you or does it make the process easier as well?

Both. It would prevent the high pressure forcing against the new stopcock and water spraying everywhere. So less water problems & easier as no pressure

 

[jonny5isalive]

Buy the adaptors, take the old one off, if they don't fit stick the old one back on and go to plan b....
Can you not get one onto the copper?
I bought a pipe freezer, had it for a year and never used it once.

Copper was in the kitchen so more of a problem if it went **** up. Stopcock in a ****ty little corner Just above the floor with no clearance. With the live cutting I'd rather have done it under the floor.

 

[SJB]

I've fitted a few aladdins, not had a problem with one yet. Fantastic bits of kit if the conditions are right. Wouldn't go putting my clamp on black alkathene mind it can be far too brittle. Mdpe or flexi hoses when I can't be arsed to go downstairs to the stopcock are the only things I ever clamp