Seized stopcock into lead pipe

Tippytoes

Hi All

Can anyone advise? The stopcock inside my house has completely seized and can't be turned off. It's an old stopcock connected to a lead pipe, and it's housed behind a small hinged panel with just enough room to get a hand through to turn it off.

It's not leaking, but I'm just concerned about not being able to turn the water off should the need arise.

Has anyone any ideas?

Thanks

TT

Alan_M_2

Time to get that lead replaced...turned the Romans loopy you know;)

jhe

hi tippytoes.maybe someone can give better advice but if anything siezes in my house i use wd40 to unsieze it,having said that ive never had to use it on the stopcock

lemontart

defo get it replaced

SailorSam

Probably is a good idea to replace, the problem is it's not going to be that little bit of pipe that's lead. More than likely it goes out to the main in the street.
I live in an old house and mines the same, lead pipe before the stopcock. I know sometime i need to do it, but for the time being i'll just close the cupboard and forget about it.
To free your tap i agree WD40, if that doesn't work try putting some heat on it.

vaio

it would be an idea to make sure you know where the upstream tap is too and check it works before you do anything too drastic to the internal one

muckybutt

If the pipe out of the top of the stop !!!! is copper then make the access bigger, get a pipe freezing kit and freeze the stop !!!!, cut the pipe above and install a new stop !!!!....simples !

amarg

You definately need to find the stop tap outside of the property first. Then you can try to fix the problem again. This might help- siezed stop tap

You have to be really careful when using pipe freezing kist on lead or mains pressure water. Some of the DIY kits just are not suitable, a friend of mine had a flood using one!

Steve_the_fitter

Its probably not to far till it goes into copper so turn off the water from outside ie.the stoptap in the street and put a new stoptap into the copper( I would get plumber to do this. Shouldnt cost a lot) and alway remember when turning on a stoptap to turn it all the way on and then give it a quater turn back as this stops the tap from seizing

jockettuk

We had the same problem a few months ago only ours was leaking a wee bit..

they couldnt freeze to replace they had to turn the water off on the outside then tey just took out old stop !!!! and replaced it with another.. job took less than half hour and wasnt to expensive..

skiTTish

We have the same problem but someone told us as we have a water meter ,the water can be turned off there instead ? dunno how true it is tho ?