Two water mains?

marlasinger

We currently have a leaking pipe, and are waiting for a plumber to sort it out. In the meantime, we have been shutting off the mains tap when we aren't using it, but today I have discovered that the kitchen cold tap still runs, even with the mains shut off. It isn't just a little bit of water left in the pipes; it runs like it is under pressure. All of the other taps (including the kitchen hot tap) don't work when the mains are off.

Can there be a second mains tap somewhere?

Just a bit concerned, as when the plumber comes, he is going to be re running pipe from somewhere in the kitchen.....just a bit worried, if he cuts through this pipe, water will go everywhere if we don't find out where to shut it off. :eek:

Thanks,

keystone

Are you turning off your main stopcock? That is to say the stopcock (the first valve) after the water enters the building.

Do you have a storage tank for cold water in the roof and a HW cylinder in the airing cupboard? If so are you just turning off the supply from these sources. Its quite normal with stored water configuration for the cold tap in the kitchen to be supplied direct from the mains independently from any other tap (except perhaps the garden tap if you have one). All other cold taps being fed from the CWST and all the hot taps being fed from the HW Cylinder which in turn is fed by the CWST.

Cheers

muckybutt

Could also be that the mains stop !!!! isnt seated properly and is still letting water through !

keystone

muckybutt wrote: »

Could also be that the mains stop !!!! isnt seated properly and is still letting water through !

It could indeed but then the CW tap in the kitchen would almost certainly be little more tha a dribble whilst the other taps will continue to operate as normal until the CWST is empty. That is, of course, assuming the OP has the sort of configuration I'm describing but as he/she hasn't said yet its difficult to tell.

Cheers

marlasinger

Keystone - I'm assuming we are turning off at the main stopcock. It's in the kitchen behind a panel - so, yes it's in the house.

There are 2 water tanks in the loft, but they aren't used anymore (so the survey said - we haven't been up there yet, as we can't afford a ladder ). We have a combi boiler in the airing cupboard, which heats up the water.

We only moved into the house a few weeks ago, but we can't see anything else that looks like another mains tap.

keystone

Ahh Ok then so you don't have the configuration I was describing and eveything is at mains pressure. In that case just ignore that lot. Its starting to sound as though the kitchen cold tap is plumbed in before your main stopcock then. Either that or there is another one that is upstream of the kitchen tap and you haven't found it yet. If the leak is AFTER the stopcock you are operating I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Cheers

MX5huggy

Have you turned off your stop hen in the street, where the water meter may be?

marlasinger

No, we haven't turned off the stopcock in the street, but I'm thinking that's what we will have to do if they want to mess about with the plumbing in the kitchen.

Yes, the leak is after the stopcock (and the kitchen CW tap is before that), but the plumber was talking about changing the plumbing in the kitchen, which is before the stopcock. He was saying something about running new pipe in the kitchen, which will make the lead pipes under the bath no longer used. He seemed to know what he was talking about, but kind of lost me in the explanation of it all. :eek:

keystone

So you have mains in --> Kitchen tap --> stopcock --> rest of house then?

Dont see the problem unless he plans to repipe the kitchen tap after the stopcock in which case he'll know to use the water co stopcock in the street to turn allthe water off.

If he knows what he is doing and what he is talking about am not sure of the point of the thread unless it was to reassure you which I hope it has.

Cheers.