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.

 

[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.