Water inlet pipe/Stop-valve

FreeBear

warwick2001 said: The reason to swap out the big ole plastic stopcock for a wee brass tap was to either:

1. Avoid having to hack the new drawer unit, it could fit straight in if all the pipework etc is flush to the wall , and

2. Allow us to have the flexibility of putting a washing machine or dishwasher there. At the moment, cos the way the pipework/stopcock sticks out, all the appliances stick out about 6 inch from the wall, and hence stick out from under the worktop.

A lot of drawer units, the drawers don't go all the way to the back. 400mm or so is the typical depth. So with a 570mm deep unit, you'll have plenty of dead space to lose pipework.

Integrated (and free standing) appliances often have very little space behind them - Dishwashers appear to be the worst offenders. A pretty good chance that what ever pipework you leave attached to the wall will stop most appliances from going all the way under the work surface.

BUFF

tbh I would come off the MDPE & go onto the copper quicker using 1 of these (check stop tap & then pick diameters to suit) https://www.toolstation.com/plumbing/mdpe-fittings/c206

plumb1_2

It looks a right mess, I’ve never seen plastic shi*e in a new build house. Usually 25 mm water main, reduced down to 22mm copper, brass stoptap, then a prv. 

Depends on the size of the property (1 or 2 floors etc)and how many outlets the main is feeding , if it can be reduced down to 15mm

Yes easily replaced with a brass valve, I hate cowboys passing themselves off a qualified tradesman!!!

A normal plumber wouldn’t have the plastic crap in their van stock, suspect he’s installing watermains. Or watermelons😂

Bendy_House

warwick2001 said:

The reason to swap out the big ole plastic stopcock for a wee brass tap was to either:

1. Avoid having to hack the new drawer unit, it could fit straight in if all the pipework etc is flush to the wall , and

2. Allow us to have the flexibility of putting a washing machine or dishwasher there. At the moment, cos the way the pipework/stopcock sticks out, all the appliances stick out about 6 inch from the wall, and hence stick out from under the worktop. 

So, my original question, is it a possible to swap out the stopcock, or are there regs/common practice to use the newer plastic ones? Obviously we would prefer a smaller unit, but if we need to keep the plastic unit, we'll work around it. One plumber who looked at it said it can be removed no problem, but the one we choose to do the work has said it shouldn't be replaced. 

Yes, of course it is possible to do this - I have no idea what your 'chosen' plumber was thinking of. This is competent-DIY stuff, very straight-forward in terms of plumbing.

You can have any type of stopcock you wish - brass, lever-valve (so operates in a quarter-turn), remote 'Surestop' (so operates via a small switch places in a convenient spot), or a more-compact plastic one like this: https://www.toolstation.com/jg-speedfit-mdpe-stop-tap/p87509

I wouldn't be hung-up on going 'brass', because they do tend to cause issues over time by seizing open, or dripping from around the spindle - tho' that should take years! I guess these new-fangled plastic ones are designed to always be smooth and easy to use?

(I'd assumed they were quarter-turn too, but seemingly are not - they are multi-turn, like brass stopcocks).

Could you post a close-up pic of the top of the stopcock in place? I' wondering if that large black section can actually be removed, and a pipe fitting put straight on to the s'!!!!!!, so making it far more compact - and saving you £30 for a new one.

As said by others, drawers don't tend to be full-depth in any case, so you should have a few inches back there in which to place the new stopcock. This is very easy to do.

plumb1_2

Bendy_House said:

these new-fangled plastic ones are designed to always be smooth and easy to use?

Ya in a Cow Shed.

Bendy_House

Plumb's a brass guy!

plumb1_2

Bendy_House said:

Plumb's a brass guy!

Plumb likes working with quality. Materials and drives a van, not a horse 😂

warwick2001

Thanks for all your help guys. The plumber is coming round tomorrow to measure up etc, so I can stress to him I would prefer to have the plastic sh*te (plumb1_2's words) removed and replaced with a brass tap.

@plumb1_2, you wrote this "I’ve never seen plastic shi*e in a new build house. Usually 25 mm water main, reduced down to 22mm copper, brass stoptap, then a prv."

Whats a prv? And is this a standard piece of kit that Screwfix et. al will stock, or will I/plumber need to order one in? Cheers buddy

Bendy_House

Pressure Reducing Valve. Only needed if your water supply is excessively high - say over 3 bar.

When you turn on your kitchen cold tap, do you wet yer troos? 

warwick2001

Bendy_House said:

Pressure Reducing Valve. Only needed if your water supply is excessively high - say over 3 bar.

When you turn on your kitchen cold tap, do you wet yer troos? 

Pretty much, yeah, the water pressure is mental here. Even the hot water comes out at a fair ole rate