Stripped Gland nut on stopcock

[Ric2013]

The water undertaker has to (?) provide a stopcock at the end of their pipe where it meets the property's supply pipe. This is usually just inside the boundary, just outside the boundary, or in the case of my house, two doors down in the road itself! They will come and find it for you. If, as happened to me once, you turn it off and then it won't go back on again, they will dig up the pavement and replace it as well. I'm not sure if older flats all have individual external stopcocks or not though...
If you're on a shared supply, ****, you can't isolate your supply without ****ing off the neighbours so you don't have the option of shutting off at the outside stopcock and then spending all day fiddling with your own one.
It may be easier to take the head off a new stopcock and fit the new head to the old body, but be aware it may be a **** to undo without damage, ****.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

The water undertaker has to (?) provide a stopcock at the end of their pipe where it meets the property's supply pipe. This is usually just inside the boundary, just outside the boundary, or in the case of my house, two doors down in the road itself! They will come and find it for you. If, as happened to me once, you turn it off and then it won't go back on again, they will dig up the pavement and replace it as well. I'm not sure if older flats all have individual external stopcocks or not though...
If you're on a shared supply, ****, you can't isolate your supply without ****ing off the neighbours so you don't have the option of shutting off at the outside stopcock and then spending all day fiddling with your own one.
It may be easier to take the head off a new stopcock and fit the new head to the old body, but be aware it may be a **** to undo without damage, ****.

maybe not depending on age, have had a set of 10 flats and 2 houses off one main and no stop tap outside, only the ones inside each property

 

[steadyon]

If
a. Its only the gland nut you've wrecked. AND
b. The screw thread inside the tap body into which the gland nut screws is OK AND
c. The handle of the tap can be removed.

THEN you could:

1. Turn the stop tap off.
2. Remove the gland nut.
3. Take it to a plumber's merchant and see if you can get a new stop tap with an identical gland nut.
4. Remove gland nut from new tap and install on old.

 

[joni os]

Live connections at mains pressure usually means the water comes over your wellies before the fitting can be tightened.

 

[****]

Hi steadyon, thanks a lot for the detailed post. I will do exactly what you said.

cheers

Thanks to everyone else who commented

 

[****]

Hi joni os, I have a mate who's a plumber and he wouldn't touch it either.

 

[Masood]

Hi joni os, I have a mate who's a plumber and he wouldn't touch it either.

Pah! Where's his sense of adventure?! First time is really scary but if you're well-prepared and can keep a cool head it's not that bad at all.

 

[****]

Pah! Where's his sense of adventure?! First time is really scary but if you're well-prepared and can keep a cool head it's not that bad at all.

Hi Masood, you wonna come over?

 

[Phil]

I was working in flats back in January, in the airing cupboard was the internal soil stack running up the back corner and behind it (unknown to me) was the communal black alkathene water main.

I drilled through the bathroom wall into the top corner of the airing cupboard and caught the pipe with my drill bit. WOOSH!!! I didn't know what hit me...it was like a high pressure fountain.
I managed to cap that off live with only the items I had around me...I was totally soaked through to my skin.

If I can get through that you can snatch a simple 15mm under a controlled situation.

 

[PhoenixServices]

I always get a sense of thrill doing stuff live. Must be an adrenaline junkie. If your not experienced don't try doing it live, your house insurance won't pay out.

 

[dean.diy]

@ Phil , ok you got me interested...you put jubilee clip on further up the black main then pulled down over the drilled hole?

 

[joni os]

For those who have never replaced a stopcock I list the following considerations:-
Once the fitting has been removed, nut and olive will remain on incoming pipe. If pipe is 15mm diameter there is high chance, (but no certainty), that nut and olive will suit new fitting.
If size of incoming pipe is other than 15mm, nut, both size or thread may not be compatible with new fitting. This means olive will have to be removed and replaced with new nut and olive.
If incoming pipe is plastic, insert will also have to be replaced.
Even when plastic pipe is cut with proper tool, pushing olive on pipe is often difficult. If pipe cut with saw, frayed edge needs removal before olive will fit.
Should plastic pipe be other than blue MDPE, finding a compatible fitting may prove difficult.
For those who have no alternative than to replace fitting on live main. Leave fitting open and direct flow, via hose, to suitable waste outlet. Finally, GOOD LUCK!

 

[Phil]

@ Phil , ok you got me interested...you put jubilee clip on further up the black main then pulled down over the drilled hole?

No, this was high up..just reachable leaning over the cylinder on a stepladder, I couldn't see the pipe or what I'd done to it, all I knew was the flat was flooding, I could feel a plastic type pipe so I reached for my shears and chomped my way through it and kinked the end over, I was able then to hold it kinked with duct tape while I turned the water off outside.

 

[dean.diy]

thanks for telling Phil, that was thinking on your feet.

 

[stevetheplumber]

if its 15mm copper a can of freezer gas will be the easist