Set Square wrote:

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Peter Ashby wrote:

Feeling frustrated. Last night at 10:05 the toilet siphon broke
unreservedly. So, the wife dropped me at B&Q to pick up a new one this
morning and I walked home. So far so good. Because our cistern sits
directly on the toilet there is no connecting pipe so I have to remove
the cistern to get old siphone off. So I go up into the attic and turn
the gate valve on the pipe emananting from the cold tank, come back
down check sink tap, water gushing, blast. Go up and down fiddling
with it, tracing pipes, reconfirming the system is how I thought.
Conclude valve is bust.

So I go out to the pavement and open the mains valve cover, not only
is the hole full of dirly water but I can't feel anything at full
stretch. Conclude I need a T-bar, blast.

I notice that the pipe to the cistern has what could be a tap or might
be a non return valve, it has a screw so I turn it but it only turns a
1/4 turn and does nothing. Blast again.

I vaguely remember that under the floor downstairs where the services
come in there is a tap. But that means emptying the small understairs
cupboard. So I decide to leave it till Saturday, we can use a bucke to
flush till then.

So a question, if I turn the water off at the incoming main, will I
have to drain the tank before the water stops?

Another one, when I have the water off is it worth replacing that gate
valve? I'm assuming that having been fitted it should be fairly
straightforward to drop a new one in?

I'm thinking about having to go to freezer pack, I'm that desperate.
Off to work now, feeling knackered already.

Peter

It's not at all clear from your post whether the cistern is fed from the
cold header tank or from the rising main. It's very important to establish
this - otherwise you'll be turning off the wrong thing!

As I explained to Dave it supplies the bath tap and doesn't stop that
one. I have also observed in the past that the continuation of that pipe
runs under bath and disappears under the floorboards heading in the
direction of the sink and cistern. Not completely conclusive but it
would be a strange system that supplies mains to the cistern but not the
bath. Doesn't seem high enough pressure. Our house back in NZ had mains
water, I remember that pressure.....

Are you sure that the 1/4 turn service valve doesn't work? That's your best
bet if you can make it work - and it then doesn't matter where the feed
comes from. To get the 'off' position, the screwdriver slot must be exactly
at right-angles to the water flow direction - turn it too far and it'll be
on again!

It was at 90 degrees and water flowed freely, I turned so it aligned and
nothing. Unfortunately the area is heavily painted and the screw slot is
near knackered. Both of which imply to me a replacement might be an idea
while the water is off.

Of course after sending my original post and walking out the front door
the two small access hatches I have walked past every day.... Will
investigate might be easier than clearing the cupboard and crawling
around under the floor.

Peter
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