Replacing Kitchen Tap But Water Not Completely Stopped

Shinobi_2

So I wanted to replace our kitchen tap and obviously turned off the water using the large blue stopcock and before removing the tap, I also leave it running to let residual water out and wait. Even so, after taking the tap off it's base (Bristan easyfit), water still comes up out the pipes; not a huge amount but enough to cause a mess. Now, looking under the sink I notice there's another traditional valve above. I'm wondering if there's more to it than just using the bottom one? Any advice is welcome. 

ThisIsWeird

Blimey - so many options!
Yes, the blue one is the main incoming stopcock - that's the first one you run to if there's a leak.
Then you have the brass stopcock above, but tbh I don't know if that is supplying your tap, or shutting off a feed to somewhere else - is there a garden tap on the other side of that wall, for instance?
But, either way, you are also lucky enough to have isolating valves fitted where the tap's flexi pipes connect.
See the cylindrical chrome fitting that the tap's flexi connect to? That has a screw slot on its side - give that a quarter-turn until it's horizontal, and that should hurt the supply off to the tap cold. And the same item on the hot supply, far left, should do ditto for the hot.

tacpot12

If the taps are connected using the flexible hoses visible in the photo, they have isolation valves that should cut off the water supply without needing to use the stopcock (circled in red).

Which tap are you trying to change: hot or cold? 

If your stop tap won't turn off the cold water completely, they you should get a new stop tap fitted (the plumber needs to be able to turn off the supply to the house in the street to be able to do this.

If you just want to change the tap, you might be able to do it with the water still coming out if you put a large towel down under where the water is going. 

GDB2222

Bristan supply isolating valves with the Easyfit taps. It is all part of the system.  It is really just a 2 minute job just to replace the tap with another Easyfit one. 

kipsterno1

Nothing to do with the taps but at the end of the horizontal pipe you have an isolation valve with a blue lever. This is no doubt for connecting a dishwasher or washing machine. As you have nothing connected to it I would be tempted to place a screw on cap just incase it was to accidentally get knocked and open.

Section62

kipsterno1 said:

Nothing to do with the taps but at the end of the horizontal pipe you have an isolation valve with a blue lever. This is no doubt for connecting a dishwasher or washing machine. As you have nothing connected to it I would be tempted to place a screw on cap just incase it was to accidentally get knocked and open.

^Good advice.

Meanwhile, if the OP has a spare washing machine hose I would put it on that valve, the free end of the hose into a bucket and then carefully open the valve to see what comes out.  If the main stopvalve is letting by, or there is residual water in the system then draining it via the hose into a bucket should mean there is no more water coming out of the kitchen tap connection (assuming the kitchen tap is higher).

The rightmost of the two drain c*kcs on the left of the picture could be used to do the same thing, but on a cold winter Sunday I'd leave those well alone as if they start leaking it would potentially mean an emergency plumber callout.  For the same reason I wouldn't touch the valves on either of the flexible hose connections... they have a habit of leaking if used, and today would not be a good day to test them.

On some designs of mixer tap there is also a (small) possibility of backflow from the hot side to the cold (or vice versa) so the source of the unwanted water could be from the other system.

Shinobi_2

Thanks so much for the advice everyone, lots of good stuff. To answer a couple of questions/clarify some points, it's a mixer tap. Bristan Monza Easyfit to be preceise.  I was initially trying to replace it with a different brand that doesn't utilise the easyfit base plate but I've changed my mind to save myself the hassle. We do have an outside tap but it's at the other end of the house. The wall behind the unit adjoins another house. That said, I'm guessing that brass stopcock is still for the outside tap since it wouldn't be coming from anywhere else? 

ThisIsWeird

Shinobi_2 said:

Thanks so much for the advice everyone, lots of good stuff. To answer a couple of questions/clarify some points, it's a mixer tap. Bristan Monza Easyfit to be preceise.  I was initially trying to replace it with a different brand that doesn't utilise the easyfit base plate but I've changed my mind to save myself the hassle. We do have an outside tap but it's at the other end of the house. The wall behind the unit adjoins another house. That said, I'm guessing that brass stopcock is still for the outside tap since it wouldn't be coming from anywhere else? 

It's worth trying your outside tap, and if that stopcock - if that's what it's for - supplies it, label it right away
Then don't worry about the mains stopcock - just turn them two isolating valves through 90 degrees and swap yer taps.