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Old garden tap problem

View the thread, titled "Old garden tap problem" which is posted in UK Plumbers Forums on UK Plumbers Forums.

D

david1981

Hi all, new to the forum.

Need a little help with a redundant garden tap.
I live in a Victorian terrace and have a tap at the bottom of the garden which is leaking from the pipe work near the tap but unable to find the source of the leek. The shut off tap is near the house but no matter how tight i close it it still runs slowly. (even with a turning bar on the tap). Tried the stop tap in the house and no luck even turned off the mains at the front and no joy.
Any ideas on where the tap is plumbed to, could there be another source.
also i guess the supply would have been to the outside toilet at the bottom of garden originally.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks Dave
 
Yes, Turned it off checked the house supply to make sure, but the garden tap still runs. Have now ran a hose to a drain so it wont ruin my yard and decking.
 
Hi all, new to the forum. The shut off tap is near the house but no matter how tight i close it it still runs slowly.
Any ideas on where the tap is plumbed to, could there be another source.
also i guess the supply would have been to the outside toilet at the bottom of garden originally. Thanks Dave

if the tap you have turned has slowed the flow on the problem pipe then that is the supply to it,
its just not completely closing,
or am I reading this wrong?
 
I think the stop tap on the garden circuit is bust (not closing fully) but is 18" down so not able to repair. What i'm confused on is what feeds that tap. Maybe is from a neighbours supply i'm in a row of 8 houses.
 
Do next door have a tap in same place as you have yours ? And if u cant turn it off then i suggest freeze it ! Or better call a plumber !
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi all, new to the forum.

Need a little help with a redundant garden tap.
I live in a Victorian terrace and have a tap at the bottom of the garden which is leaking from the pipe work near the tap but unable to find the source of the leek. The shut off tap is near the house but no matter how tight i close it it still runs slowly. (even with a turning bar on the tap). Tried the stop tap in the house and no luck even turned off the mains at the front and no joy.
Any ideas on where the tap is plumbed to, could there be another source.
also i guess the supply would have been to the outside toilet at the bottom of garden originally.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks Dave

Sounds like one of those jobs that JC fitted in half an hour. :nopity:
 
I went to an old house several years ago after the customer found an old outside tap that had split and was spraying out a fine jet of water. On arrival I found that the tap was well goosed and would not even turn. As the tap was by an old outhouse I could find no way of isolating it so I was left with a bit of a problem to change it. When I told the customer that the easiest way to change it was to just unscrew it whilst still live and quickly screw the new tap on but I might get a bit wet in doing so she kindly offered me her husbands oilskins that he used on their boat. Once suitably attired a la Jaques Cousteau I told her to stand well back as I started to unscrew the tap. After what seemed an age and feeling like a bomb disposal man unscrewing a detonator expecting it to explode at any moment the tap suddenly came off in my hand. I could have peed harder than this thing, the water just dribbled out very much to the amusement of the customer.
 
Day of Friday so will look into it. was hoping someone would have had a similar job b4 and know a fix or how they plumbed these thing back in the day. guess it must run from a neighbors main. if its not connected to my supply will severn trent charge to fix ?
 
David, what sort of pipe is it? Is it copper?

Dig down at the base and see which direction the pipe is running in under the ground. Post some pictures.
 
David, what sort of pipe is it? Is it copper?

Dig down at the base and see which direction the pipe is running in under the ground. Post some pictures.

copper pipe coming out of the old out building the leak is inside the building at the bottom, unable to find exactly were due to the amount of crap in the place. I guess it runs straight down the garden to the stop tap (small access cover and the tap is 18" down) but this tap is fully closed with force and still water flows.
 
turn water off in house or street, open outside tap and then open upstairs taps or any tap above the outside tap to allow air in to drain the pipework, if it is still trickling out which indicates the valve is passing(common) then just replace it live or cap it whatever you plan on doing, if not confident in doing this then get a plumber in
 
I know you wrote this a week ago and I am maybe too late, but have you considered that the water supply to you and your neighbours could be on a ring? It is not unusual in older properties for several houses to be on a water service fed from two ends. So shutting just one stopcock in the path will not stop the water supply to your, or anyones house, there will be another stopcock as well. Ask your neigbours, they may have knowledge of this.
Alternatively if your stopcock outside your house does not shut off the water to your house then your water board will replace it, normally FOC.
Lastly to cap off your garden tap live - buy a philmac or plasson steel or copper to plastic coupler, a short piece of 20mm blue pipe and a plastic valve, connect all three together with the plastic valve in the correct water flow orientation, dig down on the pipe with a good sized hole under the pipe, cut the pipe (this can be a bit wet) then leaving the plastic valve open and pointing away from you! push the connector onto the underground pipe. You will then be able to tighten up the fitting to ensure a seal without the back pressure forcing the fitting off all the time. Now simply close the valve. Job done.
 

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