"Dave Baker" wrote in message
...
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.

There's no nut. The tap is one where a quarter turn turns it off. ie when
the oval bit you turn is in line with the pipe, it's open, if you turn it
quarter of a turn so that it's crosses the pipe it's closed.

Peter.