where's the stopcock??

Brie

basically that's the problem.  I've no idea where it is.  So how do I find it??  Been here for a few years and the only time we needed to turn off the water was when there was work being done on the bathroom and the plumber resorted to turning it off somewhere in front of the house and off our property.

Would the water company know?  I hope we never need it but it would be good to know where it is.  Previous owners didn't mention it....

Browntoa

Normally under the sink in the kitchen or utility room 

Sometimes in old houses under the flooring by the front door.

But as stated, it is possible to turn it off at your water meter outside 

Water board won't know ( or care ) 

Ebe_Scrooge

Yes, you can turn the water off at the street, usually it's on the pavement outside your house.  Just make sure it only shuts off your water, occasionally it may cut off next-door as well.

But the normal stopcock can be anywhere, depends how old the house is.  By far the most common place I've found it is in the cupboard under the kitchen sink - have you checked there first?  The water company wouldn't be able to help - if anything, the company that built the house would be your best bet.  But try under the kitchen sink first.

stuart45

One of the first things to find out when moving to a new house. Start where the water first enters the property and follow the pipework from there.
If you can't find one, turn it off in the street and stick one in a convenient place for yourself.

Brie

Thanks for this.  I would have thought the plumber would have looked in the usual places like under the kitchen sink before going outside.  There is a boxed in utility cupboard by the bathroom so I'll have a look in there too (all sorts hidden behind various doors behind doors).  

stuart45

Sometimes for a plumber it's easier to turn it off in the street, than rake through an undersink cupboard. 

Ebe_Scrooge

Brie said:

Thanks for this.  I would have thought the plumber would have looked in the usual places like under the kitchen sink before going outside.  There is a boxed in utility cupboard by the bathroom so I'll have a look in there too (all sorts hidden behind various doors behind doors).  

I guess it's possible that the house has been extended/altered at some point in the past, meaning the original stopcock is now inaccessible????  Would seem a daft thing to do (to not move it), but who knows.  If that is the case, then as stuart45 says, it's a relatively simple job to install a new one, assuming you can trace where the incoming supply is.

Brie

Thanks - we have a distant dream of redoing the kitchen so will ensure it is done as part of that.

KxMx

I moved into a flat a few months ago and it took me some time to locate mine! 
Not under kitchen sink, not in bathroom, but hidden by a pull out piece of wooden skirting (I had thought it was fixed so didn't think to try there for ages) in an adjacent cupboard, which I now know is where the water comes in.
Think L shape rotated with the short end being where the water comes in and the long part the kitchen sink.

FreeBear

Browntoa said: Normally under the sink in the kitchen or utility room 

Sometimes in old houses under the flooring by the front door.

Old house here. Never had an internal stopcock and have always relied on the one just inside the boundary. Most of the houses along my road have a similar arrangement.

And contrary to what an Anglain Water rep tried to tell me, it is not "illegal". Just not compliant with current building regs.

TELLIT01

The people who had our house before us redesigned the kitchen and I would never have found the stoptap if they hadn't shown me.  It was behind the back panel of one of the base units, and the back panel had been modified so that it could be lifted out to access the tap.  Otherwise it was completely hidden and nowhere near where they had moved the sink to.