Isolating hot water taps

boardster

Moved into house few months ago and now have dripping tap but can't work out how to stop water to it. there is nothing directly inline from the taps to do this so end up in cupboard with hot water tank and heating control panel.

Totally confused all there is an expansion tank (I think) with a pressure gauge connected and the entry and return to the hot water tank. trouble is I don't understand where the rest of the pipework goes. there is a red stopcock and a black plastic inline one.

Any tips or advice on what I should be looking for? Hopefully won't need to empty a 250 litre tank!!!

ormus

switch off the boiler first. then any immersion heater.
then turn off the main stop co ck. this is the first stoptap into the house.
if you cannot find it then turn it off in the street.
then you can service the leaking tap.

gasmanmartin

you may have a large storage tank in the loft feeding your copper hot water cylinder - it should have a gate valve you can turn off on the cold feed then all you do is run a hot tap until it runs dry ( because the hot feed comes off the top of the tank it should run dry very quick.

you could turn off the main stop !!!! for the house but you will need to drain the whole tank in loft and it will take ages.

I am presuming you have a conventional cylinder and not an unvented one. the pressure guages you are talking about sound as if they are on the heating side and you dont need to touch them

boardster

gasmanmartin wrote: »

I am presuming you have a conventional cylinder and not an unvented one. the pressure guages you are talking about sound as if they are on the heating side and you dont need to touch them

What will identify one system from the other?

Thanks for the help

Canucklehead

Hi

Look in your roof, if you have a large 50 gallon storage tank (approx 4'x2'x2') then you have a low pressure gravity system . The pressure vessel would be for the c/h (as gasmanmartin said).

If that's the case then find the lowest connection on the cylinder about 4"from the bottom. Follow it up until you find a valve of some sort. One of the most common types is the good old red handled gate type, they are not the most reliable of valve and let by quite often, and when a cowboy like me gets hold of then they snap internally.Be gentle with it. Each item of sanitaryware should have it's own isolating valve, but that's way too much trouble for people like me!;)
If it's got a nice white casing on it then it's mains unvented, probably, let us know the make.

Corgi Guy.

yogi3

pipe freeze can be very usefull, saves turning water off, if you have suitable access to the pipe. http://www.screwfix.com/prods/13369/Plumbing/Pipe-Freezing-Kits/Pipe-Freezing-Kit-220ml
:beer: