Subject: Can't turn hot water stop tap!
From: "Snowman"
Date: 03/10/03 10:06 GMT Daylight Time
Message-id:

I need to turn off the hot water to fix a tap, but I just can't turn the
stop tap. This is on a pipe behind the hot water cylinder running up to the
loft and it's got a flat oval shaped piece to turn. I've found it tight in
the past and have use mole grips, but this time I can't budge it.

Am I likely to damage anything if I really get brutal, or is there any way
of freeing it up? Alternatively, I presume I can turn off the cold water
feed to the house and drain the tanks. (In the long term, I think I'm going
to have to replace this tap.)

There should be a nut behind the handle where the spindle goes into the body of
the tap. If you loosen this first you stand a better chance of not breaking the
spindle or the handle. It's probably jammed because you had it fully open.
Better to leave stop taps half a turn back from fully out.


Dave Baker - Puma Race Engines (www.pumaracing.co.uk)
I'm not at all sure why women like men. We're argumentative, childish,
unsociable and extremely unappealing naked. I'm quite grateful they do though.