Faulty Gate Valve

by **hulldj** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 7:35 pm

Hi Again,

I have a problem with the cold water feed to my bathroom, the gate valve used to isolate water being fed from the CWST in the loft is closed and just spins when turned. A local plumber has recommended that the full system needs to be drained and will take a 2-3 hours labour plus parts. I just wondered if anyone has had any success bunging/blocking the feed from within the CWST in order that I can change the gate valve and only have to deal with the small amount of water in the run of pipe between the tank and the valve, there is unfortunately no other service valves before the fault Gate valve.

Thanks In Advance

Kev

by **Steve the gas** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 5:15 am

Hi Kev,

Yes, use a bung in tank to stop flow out, have a few bowls and rags about,
prepare everything then swap gate valve with haste not speed.

Hth

by **hulldj** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 5:10 pm

Thanks steve, I was thinking of using a bung/cork from a demi-john out of a wine making kit, i think this should do the job but just wanted to see if any professionals have had luck with it.

thanks again

Kev

by **parkyplumber** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 5:52 pm

The best way to do it:-
Turn off mains water stopcock,
Open relevant tap,
This will drain the HWSC.
I would personally take the guts out of the valve, clean out the buildup in the seating and replace the spindle, dont forget to use a potable water jointing compound around the thread.
Alternatively If you have a deathwish freeze the pipe on the supply side of the valve.