Replacing stopcock, best manufacturer / setup

[orbit123]

We have 25mm blue MDPE coming into our house, stepping down to 22mm copper at the current brass stopcock.
It needs re-routed slightly and given taken to pieces I figure we might as well replace the stopcock.

My experience of materials recently is very poor and less seems built to last in the plumbing and electrical world! No offence to trades and then kind of buy what Screwfix etc. stocks etc.
Given what stopcock does I'd consider it worth spending more / whatever so done properly and not have it leaking or weeping.

Pegler comes up as a brand that seems good? Is that good or is there something else?

I think I'd need to step the 25mm MDPE down to 22 copper and then have a 22mm pegler stopcock?

Our water pressure is all great and no need for full-bore valves + seemed to be some debate around regulations.

[Fastpedeller]

Retired plumber here. It's possible to make matters worse by removing old fittings from the copper pipe or plastic pipe they attach to. I recommend replacing just the valve part of the stopcock - i.e. leave the 'body' in place as a good first attempt. If that isn't successful, go the whole hog! If it's been there years (as most have), some persuasion will be required. Hold the body using a suitable wrench to prevent any movement of the attaching pipes, and undo the valve from the body (It goes without saying that the water has to be turned off at the supplier's stopcock downstream (in pavement outside?)). If the valve is removed successfully, check the seating isn't damaged, compare the threads and other dimensions and insert valve from new stopcock, It's likely the thread will be the same as the old one - I've only come across a rare case of a different thread, and that was at a chalet site built during WW2.

[OutInTheShed]

My amateur opinion would be to have the fewest possible points of failure 'upstream' of the stopcock, so maybe a Speedfit 25mm stop valve straight on the MDPE incoming?

But access to the valve and stress on the pipe etc can be more important!

[JoshSm]

orbit123 said:

Our water pressure is all great and no need for full-bore valves + seemed to be some debate around regulations.

I'd always tend to go for full bore just to avoid flow noise.

I think all my valves are Pegler now, I moved everything to quarter turn full bore valves, some with lever, some with T handles. No more issues with getting stuck, snapping stems or weeping from the packing.

[biggiles]

If I was putting a stop-cock on the 25mm MDPE, underground, then one of the better brands is perhaps Philmac.

[LooneyTunes]

https://www.totalpipes.co.uk/product/plasson-pushf...

You can also buy the parts separately if, for example, you need a right angle on the input side.

I've got a few around the place and the quality seems good.

[orbit123]

Thanks all - I've gone for Plasson fittings and a brass stopcock (with compression). It looks like Plasson and Philmac are well rated.
Fingers crossed all ok!

[LooneyTunes]

One thought: are you aware that MDPE pipe needs a liner/insert? Just pushes into the end of the pipe and helps maintain the pipe structure which, in turn, is important for keeping it leak free. They cost buttons but if someone hasn’t dealt with MDPE before, and cuts the existing fitting off, they might never realise they’re part of the system.

[orbit123]

Yes thanks - I've ordered some!
I've used John Guest Speedfit and seen the results of the insert being missed!
So easy to put it together and be unsure if insert was fitted too - with the Speedfit I counted out inserts and at end made sure matched to the fittings.
The Plasson fittings have a copper convertor I've never seen before but watched a YouTube video and looks ok.

I'm paranoid as it's water main and if comes off or something fails will be a massive mess the way our house is laid out. Will do it with someone that knows more than I do, I just didn't want the cheapest fittings etc. to be used vs paying a few £s more.

Cheers.

[Fastpedeller]

A little anecdote...... A few years ago a customer called saying "Can you replace my stopcock?" She explained her son and a neighbour had taken it apart and couldn't find anything wrong with it, but sometimes the water just stops. I explained it seemed likely to be the water supply, as if the stopcock had a fault it would be liable to let water flow when it shouldn't, but couldn't stop the water flow without being turned off. She insisted that I should replace it, and that she would understand if it didn't resolve it, but at least she'd be satisfied it was new. I arrived at her house a few days later with a new (Philmac) stopcock and a selection of adaptors. The water was flowing to her kitchen sink, beneath which was the stopcock. I went outside to find the meter/stopcock for her property.
In the small 'close' were 12 properties, and all the meters/stopcocks were on a grass embankment. Only some of the stopcocks had a tag on them with a property number, and by process of deduction/elimination, I found hers. I turned it off and returned to her property, and yes, the water was off. I took the old stopcock off and as i offered up the new one to the supply pipe I heard a 'whoosh', so I quickly put the new stopcock in place and tightened the connection. Flood avoided! I completed the job and went back to the grass embankment to return the stopcock of one of her neighbours' properties to its original position. It was indeed a problem with the water supply, which I found out the water company had denied until the internal stopcock had been replaced - the impeller in the meter was occasionally sticking

[fourstardan]

Having started some bathroom renovation the fear of flooding is a daily occurrence.

Dread to think what 25mm mains going wrong would be like.

[hyperblue]

Having had a stopcock fail in a previous house whilst trying to close the valve, worth familiarising yourself with how to access and shut off supply at the water meter before you need to do it in a rush!