Mains stopcock

[Booldawg]

Had a plumber out this week (we have a service/breakdown agreement) He wasnt able to do the job as A) our mains water stopcock is jammed and B) The stopcock out in the street that supplies our house had a ants nest in and full of rubbish so he couldnt turn off the supply (I'm sure an old school plumber wouldve handled that!)

As far as A is concerned, its not covered on our agreement so will cost us 110GBP to get a new stopcock fitted in our house. Fair enough. But obviously he cant do this until B has been rectified. He said we'll need to speak to our local water board.

Will this cost us to get done? TBH if its their responsibility they can do it but if it costs I'm sure I can shift an ants nest and bit of debris.

[ChuckFickens]

No the stop cock out in the street is not your responsibility, it's the water boards.

(I would have been tempted to tell the guy to grow a set for giving that reason for being unable to turn off the water BTW)

[Mick-Talbot]

what Chuck said, and have i mention i think plumbers are robbing Lady Veggies?

[Booldawg]

Thanks Chuck, will ring them.

I wasnt there Mrs Booldawg was. I wouldve certainly have posed the question if removing said ants nest wouldnt be beyond his remit. Else he couldve stepped aside whilst a 'real man' performed the task. I'm sure there may've been a neighbour I could've asked.

[scotman]

Just a comment on the new stopcock. If your plumber fits a metal one ensure that it is not turned fully open. This is a sure way of making them jam. Open it fully and then do a quarter-turn closed. This will not affect water flow or pressure and should ensure it stays jam free.

[The Builder]

Just wanted to agree with what everyone has said.
I seriously worry about some of these "breakdown/service" agreements. So many exclusions. ........ plus a captive audience who they can charge what they like for a little job like this.
110 Knicker to replace a stopcock? Buried in concrete is it Boolders???

[gingejbee]

Service-oriented water-boards ceased existing many, many years ago - you are supplied by money-making water companies.

[Hymie]

I have suffered a ‘frozen’ stopcock – undoubtedly due to it not being adjusted over its entire life.

My fix was to spray WD40 around the stopcock shaft and leave it to penetrate overnight. The following day I used a large pair of pliers (to give me a mechanical advantage) to free the stopcock.

Remember not to use too much force – otherwise you will discover other exclusions that apply to your service/breakdown agreement.

[alavahalf]

My most common problem when doing plumbing repairs... 'Is turning the water off'...
If access was possible, the plumber could have froze the pipe while he fitted a new stopcock.
...Why would your water company send someone out to remove an ants nest..?
If your stopcock in the street has a nest, I'd have had a go at smashing the head of the stop cock key through it. They are usually very dry and break up easily.
Give it a few minutes while the ants go berzerk.
Then wrap a bin bag round your arm and scoop the remains out.
If that stop cock happens to be seized... then and only then... will your water company get involved.