Water Storage

Water Storage

Help – Water Leaking

How to turn water off

Water leaking from loft

1. Firstly you need to turn the main stopcock off (clockwise). You can usually find it near or under the kitchen sink. Put buckets under the leaks, then turn on all the cold taps in the house and flush all the WC’s to drain the cold water storage cistern.

2. Next you need to find the cause of the leak. It may be a burst pipe in the loft or a cistern overflow caused by a blocked overflow pipe.

Note: You may need to call a plumber out.

Problem: Water not coming out of tap

1. If no water flows from the kitchen sink cold tap, check that the main stopcock is open. If it is, call your water supply company. You will find the number under ‘Water’ in the phone book.

2. If no water flows from other taps, check the cold water cistern. It may have emptied because of a jammed ball valve. If it is empty, move the float arm sharply up and down to free the valve, then clean the valve.

Alternatively – In frosty weather there may be an ice plug blocking a supply pipe. If the kitchen cold tap is working, check the flow into the cold water cistern by pressing down the ball valve. If there is no inflow, the rising main is frozen probably between the ceiling and the cistern inlet.

3. If the cistern is filling, check the bathroom taps. If there is not flow from one tap, its supply pipe from the cistern is frozen.

4. To thaw a pipe, strip off any lagging from the affected part and apply hot Water Bottles. If a pipe is difficult o get at, blow warm air onto it with a hair dryer.

Warning – Do not use a blow torch to defrost a frozen pipe. It may cause a fire, or melt the solder in a pipe joint and cause another leak.

Leaking Hot Water cylinder

1. Turn off the gate valve (clockwise) on the supply pipe from the cold water cistern to the hot water cylinder. If there is no gate valve, turn off the main stopcock and turn on all the taps to empty the cistern. This will not empty the hot water cylinder, but will stop water from flowing into it.

2. Switch off the immersion heater, if there is one.

3. Switch off the boiler, or put out the boiler fire.

4. Connect a hose to the cylinder drain valve, which is located near the base of the cylinder where the supply pipe from the cold water cistern enters. Put the other end of the hose into an outside drain.

5. Open up the drain valve with a drain valve key or pliers.

6. Get the hot water cylinder repaired or replaced by a plumber

Can’t turn off water

If you cannot turn off the water at the main stopcock, tie up the float arm in the cold water cistern to stop it filling, turn on all the taps, except the kitchen cold tap and flush the WCs. You can then work on the problem pipe.

To work on the rising main, locate the outdoor stopcock. Use a stopcock key (available from plumbers’ merchants) to turn off the tap and cut off the mains supply to the house.

About the Author

Anayo Keane-Etumnu is an expert plumbing and heating engineer

Preparedness 101 - Water storage