Stuck stop cock tap - tips ?

[PostHeads123]

Hi,

Any tips on getting a stop cock tap to turn so I can turn it off ? I found mine in the house under the kitchen sink its just a tap but wont move, I guess to turn it off I need to clockwise ?

Reason I need to turn it off is I got water bill that was x 5 normal and I'm metered, water company to check for leaks want to me to turn water off in house.

[PostHeads123]

TooMany2cvs said:

Don't, fergawd'ssakes, force it...

If it's REALLY, REALLY, REALLY stuck, turn the water off at the street, and replace it. Then periodically turn it off and on, just to make sure it doesn't seize again...

If the water won't turn off at the street, then that's the supplier's problem. The internal stopcock is yours.

Thanks, I have a water meter outside when I have looked it before I couldn't find a stop value on that, my old house had a water meter and the stop value outside was with it, even with water meters could the stop value outside be separate to the water meter ?

Yeah it might need a new one in the house it was already stuck when I moved in just didn't get around to sorting it, phoned a plumber who wanted £90 an hr for first hr, does that seem excessive, I'm north London ?

Also may be a stupid question, but there a house knocked and re-built across the road from me, the owners moved in at the start of the period the bill starts getting massive, could they have tapped into my supply, the meter is on the pavement outside of my house, they didn't dig anything up in the road.

The bill I got for last 6 months was £1.2k, usually I'm £600 for the year, nothing changed in my house.

Edited by PostHeads123 on Monday 29th January 14:27

Edited by PostHeads123 on Monday 29th January 14:28

[PostHeads123]

TooMany2cvs said:

PostHeads123 said:

Thanks, I have a water meter outside when I have looked it before I couldn't find a stop value on that, my old house had a water meter and the stop value outside was with it, even with water meters could the stop value outside be separate to the water meter ?

Possible, but unlikely. Pic?

Will get a pick tonight

[PostHeads123]

Ian Geary said:

My old 50s house had a stiff cock. I used a large ball joint fork over the tap handle, and turned it with a 1/2 inch rachet.

I did it cautiously, a bit forward, a bit back, until it was loose. It didn't help that a kitchen cupboard had been installed in front of it, and the hole to access it was about 3 inches across.

Tl:dr ball joint tool releases stiff cock through small hole with careful handplay.

Lol

I've got same access problem, its in the corner of a L shapped run of kitchen units, I'm 6ft and can only just reach the tap and I'm stretching, the units need to come out and kitchen work top really ggrrr.

All this as water company think I've used nearly 500,000 ltrs of water in 6 months based on there meter reading, which is 500% more than prior 6 mths. I looked at meter this evening and you can't even read the digets so god knows how they did, will look again in morning. I couldnt see any switch off value on meter but noticed another little man hole cover on the front lawn so might be in there.

Cheers