Shared main swapping internal stop tap

[Matt0029]

What's the official/best way of doing this. Turning water off to a property to swap the internal stop tap. With the house being on a shared main. Around 6 houses on it I think.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Let them all know in writing it’s going to be off x date and x time for approximately x hours go worst case

And if this is not ok to contact x on 20654£7@ asap to arrange another date

 

[RBG]

Yes. Let them all know in writing if possible

I had one with 8 houses on once. Emergency leak call out fortunately everyone was in and said it’s going off now and they were fine about it.

I hate the shared ones in case they start moaning that this / that doesn’t work like it used to etc

 

[Matt0029]

Turn mains off turn back on and toilet fill valve messes up or something?

 

[RBG]

Turn mains off turn back on and toilet fill valve messes up or something?

Yes exactly. Or someone in the house runs the hot tap and combi gets unhappy etc. simple stuff but as the water was knocked off and then it happens they blame it on that

 

[Matt0029]

Thanks didn't think about that. There is some MDPE you can see in the garden down a hole that is the supply to this house individually off the shared main. Maybe I could use a squeeze off tool on this? To avoid knocking the main off.

 

[RBG]

No worries. I’m particularly “risk adverse” with jobs especially when it affects people other than customer. Some water board can get arsey if you use main stopcock and then it doesn’t work properly. Severn Trent seem okay about it being used though. I had 2 external stop cocks replaced in road last year on jobs to replace internal stop cocks as they had seized and wouldn’t work. They came out in about a month to replace so external would work so I could isolate it to replace internal. I always check on a job now if external works before I book in a time to work on internal.

 

[Matt0029]

Thanks a squeeze off tool maybe an option if I can get to the MDPE pipe on show?

 

[RBG]

Good question. That is something I don’t have any experience with.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Yep squeeze off tool is ok providing your not close to a fitting eg within 6”

 

[Matt0029]

Yep squeeze off tool is ok providing your not close to a fitting eg within 6”

Thanks Shaun so if I can get it on the external MDPE that is on show. Maybe better then turning the shared main off possibly?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Both the same

 

[Matt0029]

Thanks yes it would just remove the hassle of writing to the other houses on the main. This is the end house. And can see the MDPE going in to this house down a hole the builders left. So could squeeze this off to avoid turning all the other houses out to replace the stop tap

 

[Sparkgap]

If you have sight of the incoming main to the property surely it would be easy to put in a pit and stopcock for future? Let the neighbours know the water will be off for a short while (or if you CBA just do it live!!! 🙂

 

[Matt0029]

If you have sight of the incoming main to the property surely it would be easy to put in a pit and stopcock for future? Let the neighbours know the water will be off for a short while (or if you CBA just do it live!!! 🙂

A pit as in a access eye then a stop tap below. The internal stop tap doesn't work 😞

 

[Matt0029]

If you have sight of the incoming main to the property surely it would be easy to put in a pit and stopcock for future? Let the neighbours know the water will be off for a short while (or if you CBA just do it live!!!

If did it outside this would be the best stop tap for it? It's 25mm MDPE

 

[Matt0029]

Would that be the preferred method if installing an isolation ok the MDPE feed pipe externally to the property?