plumbing help needed (SORTED Many many thanks!!)

Scubabe

Well, of course all the bad stuff happens at once - over a foot of snow, and a pipe bursts, meaning last night I had to shut off all the water to our house, and switch off the central heating Brrrrrrrrrr t'was cold!!!

Anyway, in the morning light I have worked out what's going on, the pipe leading up to the outside front garden tap has burst. I know it is possible to turn off the outside tap, as we had to do it a couple of years ago when we first moved in - it was leaking.

I found the "thing" (excuse me, female, not a plumber, don't know the right terminology) which we used last time to turn it off, and I know I had to put a screwdriver into it and turn it, but I can't remember which way!

This morning I have tried both ways, and I just turn and turn and turn and turn and it never actually stops (like when you turn a tap on, there is a full "on" stop, well this screw doesn't have one of those).

Does anyone out there in cyberland know which direction (clockwise or anti-clockwise) I am supposed to turn this screw to switch off the water going to the outside tap?

Here's a picture of the screw thing I am talking about:


Many thanks for any/all help - I really want to turn the water to the house back on again so I can get my central heating back, it's freeeeeeezing here today!

Cheers

Ness

Browntoa

normally turns halfway , so in your picture the line should go straight up

totalsolutions

To be more accurate it needs to turn a 1/4 of the way or 90deg. The line would then be vertical as suggested by Browntoa. Look at it as the water flows in the line of direction, horizontal - water flows. Vertical - water flow stopped.

Not sure why you turned off the CH ?? . On a different line/system. CH is a closed water loop within the house. Cold water feed is for washing/drinking.
Anyways, good luck.

Scubabe

Really? Is that all it needs - just one half-turn?
OMG what a simple little device!!!

Thank you, I will go turn it so the line is vertical, and then turn the water back on and see what happens - I'm imagining the burst pipe has now frozen up so it probably won't leak for a while until it thaws, but I'll do that and see what happens.

Many many thanks for the fast replies!!! MSE-ers are a brilliant bunch

Ness

Scubabe

totalsolutions wrote: »

Not sure why you turned off the CH ?? . On a different line/system. CH is a closed water loop within the house. Cold water feed is for washing/drinking.

I'm not from the UK so have absolutely no idea about central heating and how it works - I just know it heats up the water, therefore there's water involved... and just assumed it would need to be turned off! I wanted to be safe rather than sorry, certainly can't afford to put in a new boiler or CH system if I had broken the whole lot

Thanks for the tip tho, I know now that we don't have to if it ever happens again

ixwood

Can you insulate the pipe?

Scubabe

ixwood wrote: »

Can you insulate the pipe?

the one outside? Why would I need to do that?
And no, I don't really have any proper stuff to do that with - I have newspaper and tape, but no proper plumbing insulation of any kind.

SailorSam

If you find where the pipe has split you will be able to do a quick fix by cutting it there and if you get a 15mm conex straight connector join it back up.

ormus

its called a service valve or isolating valve.

(or a stop tap/co ck to the layman).