Please remind me which lever turns the water off.

GDB2222

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81876603#Comment_81876603

You can turn both off quite safely. Which is definitely off! :)

silvercar

Job done. The plumber did try to isolate from the pipe from the cold water tank in the loft but that doesn’t have isolator and there isn’t much room up there to fit any. I asked him if he could fit an isolator on the toilet feed, but he said there isn’t enough room.

silvercar

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81876669#Comment_81876669

Kitchen sink cold tap is deliberately softened. It’s allowed under current guidance on drinking softened water and we are happy with it. My kitchen has a dark grey sink, I’m not having limescale all over it! Previous kitchen had a reverse osmosis filter, but we decided we didn’t want a separate drinking tap so dispensed with that idea in this kitchen incarnation.

WIAWSNB

Blimey, there is no room for an isolating tap at the CWS, and ditto for the toilet?

So he drained the cold tank?

Dare I ask for some pics, please - of the visible pipe supplying the cistern, and the CWS and pipes coming from it?

Just trying to work out whether this is a guy you should keep on your books. :-)

silvercar

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81877469#Comment_81877469

I’ll post a picture of the cistern tomorrow. He drained the cold tank; it didn’t take that long with the bath and sink cold water taps on. The tank is the far side of the loft, away from the hatch, I think it’s near the eaves, he said it could be done but not easily. The loft isn’t boarded and he’s a big guy, so I imagine it’s possible but not easy. He has offered to put isolating switches on the cistern and also on the sink taps at a later date, but it would mean removing the boxing at floor level, so it would then involve sorting that out.

silvercar

@WIAWSNB here is the picture of the cistern supply pipe. The plumber said he could fit an isolator on there but it would mean opening up the boxing underneath.

The vertical gap is 8cm.

Section62

here is the picture of the cistern supply pipe. The plumber said he could fit an isolator on there but it would mean opening up the boxing underneath.

To be fair to the plumber, that would be a much more involved (aka expensive) job than he was originally asked to do.

I'm not suggesting you would, but other customers might ask the plumber to go ahead and then baulk at the bill, and there is also the issue of who is going to modify/rebuild the boxing in after the plumber has done their part of the job. With a different customer it could lead to the kind of thread we get here sometimes where the poster complains the plumber has doubled the bill and left the bathroom looking like a bombsite…. with responses to the effect of "He's a cowboy, don't pay him".

I would say your plumber made the right call, you would do well to keep him on your books.

If the cold water storage tank is difficult to get to it might be worth considering having isolating valves somewhere more accessible - for example in the airing cupboard - if you have one, and if the pipes come down through there.

GDB2222

We’ve managed very nicely without a water tank in the loft for nearly 30 years. It means we don’t have any stored water in the event of a mains failure, so I keep a few litres of bottled water in stock. Everything runs off the incoming main pipe, so turning that off stops all the water in the house.

silvercar

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81878245#Comment_81878245

That’s reassuring. Plus the plumber did look for an airing cupboard to see if there were valves in there, but our airing cupboard is downstairs and doesn’t have them.

WIAWSNB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81878203#Comment_81878203

Thanks.

Yes, access would require the boxing top removing.

It's hard to believe that the outlet from the CWS in the loft doesn't have a stop valve, tho', or would be tricky to fit if absent. Ok, it isn't as easily accessible, but it would mean not having to drain a goodly number of gallons of softened water each time a tap valve fails.

Anyhoo, it's fixed :-)