Welcome, Guest. Please Login or Register
Welcome To Ask The Trades!
Mar 28th, 2024, 9:46pm
Quote: I almost had a psychic girlfriend, ..... but she left me before we met.


Page Index Toggle Pages: 1
Send Topic Print
Stop hot water to downstairs tap (Read 3045 times)
stuk
GDPR opt-out









Stop hot water to downstairs tap
Aug 10th, 2015, 4:26pm
 
Hi, I need to turn off the hot supply to a tap in a downstairs bathroom. I closed the valve on the cold input into the hot water cylinder and this stopped the water in all the hot taps except the one I need to work on. The flow slowed to a constant drip but would not stop completely. I had assumed it was just the water in the pipes, but having left it for a long time, the drip was still there.

I'm guessing I'll have to drain the attic tank to do this now, but I'm curious as to how there was still a drip in this tap, although all the others, including the kitchen were dry? If the gate valve is still letting some water through, would it only be seen in this one downstairs tap like this?

Thanks!
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Headrush
Trade Member
*****
Offline

Ask The Trades
Posts: 147


Total Thanks: 10
For This Post: 1


Nottingham, United Kingdom
Nottingham
United Kingdom

Gender: male

Trade: Plumber

Re: Stop hot water to downstairs tap
Reply #1 - Aug 10th, 2015, 6:38pm
 
Water is probably still passing through the gate valve and it will drip from the lowest point in the system if all other taps above it have been opened. If you close the bath tap and leave the kitchen tap open it should, in theory after a while, start dripping from the kitchen tap.

Gate valves are notorious for not operating fully after a time. You can either try to find a draindown cock below the bathroom tap, attach a hose to it and let the water drain from there as you fix the bath tap. Or try to turn off the gate valve a little harder, or bung the outlet hole at the bottom of the main tank with a cork of some kind, or drain it down completely..
Back to top
 
Thank User For This Post  
IP Logged
 
thescruff
Global Moderator
Trade Member
Author
*****
Offline

Who said plumbing was
easy.
Posts: 6037


Total Thanks: 147
For This Post: 1


Gender: male

Trade: Plumber



Re: Stop hot water to downstairs tap
Reply #2 - Aug 11th, 2015, 8:16am
 
Best Bung the storage tank, you can buy them in Screwfix and the like.

Put too much force on the gate valve and you'll break it so you cannot turn it back on
Back to top
« Last Edit: Aug 11th, 2015, 8:18am by thescruff »  
Thank User For This Post View members image gallery  
IP Logged
 
stuk
Re: Stop hot water to downstairs tap
Reply #3 - Aug 11th, 2015, 9:05am
 
Thanks for that. I'll give plugging the storage tank a go. Only need it off long enough to get an isolation valve in before the tap.
Back to top
 
Thank User For This Post  
IP Logged
 
Page Index Toggle Pages: 1
Send Topic Print