House shut down

[Mel]

We have recently come home after a very enjoyable 18 night trip to 3 sites near the South coast. At 9 pm the evening before we left home for this trip we heard a sudden noise and the sound torrents of water pouring into the bathroom ( which is downstairs) . Ran in and saw water coming sideways from under the bathroom sink. Quickly turned off the stop **** but in the 2 or 3 minutes this took we were paddling in the bathroom. Tracked the issue down to a not very big hole in the braided pipe leading to the hot tap. We were able to isolate this because it has a screw isolator thing.
Much mopping later…..
As the leak was stopped we went away the following morning with both the isolator screw turned off and the stop ****. Asked Daughter to check on the house while we were away.
However if that pipe had bust only 12 hours later we would have come back to a major disaster area as it would have run for 18 days 😲! Not only that the water was coming through the combi boiler to feed the hot tap so we would have had a gas bill in the thousands!
A very very very lucky escape.
From now on the stop **** is getting turned off whenever we go away.

What pre departure house prep do you all do?
Mel

Edit The asterisks in the word stopcock were put in by forum software not me 😂

 

[RogerL]

I turn the water and gas off if we go away and most electrical appliances are unplugged.

 

[otherclive]

A fairly fortunate outcome. Water and gas turned off when we go away. My ex son in laws mum went to Cornwall for a week and a pipe burst on the outlet of her shower monsoon pump. They were in rented accommodation for months until the house was repaired. So now our daily practice is turn on the shower pump for the shower then turn it off.

 

[Hutch]

Son came home for a weekend, whilst we were away in Chester, phoned us up, (very unusual) the house is flooding. Braided hose to one of the toilets upstairs. He closed the Stopcock,
Big insurance claim for Bathroom floor Kitchen ceiling and kitchen floor. 2 months work.
Water is. Shut off every time away.

 

[Buckman]

We have recently come home after a very enjoyable 18 night trip to 3 sites near the South coast. At 9 pm the evening before we left home for this trip we heard a sudden noise and the sound torrents of water pouring into the bathroom ( which is downstairs) . Ran in and saw water coming sideways from under the bathroom sink. Quickly turned off the stop **** but in the 2 or 3 minutes this took we were paddling in the bathroom. Tracked the issue down to a not very big hole in the braided pipe leading to the hot tap. We were able to isolate this because it has a screw isolator thing.
Much mopping later…..
As the leak was stopped we went away the following morning with both the isolator screw turned off and the stop ****. Asked Daughter to check on the house while we were away.
However if that pipe had bust only 12 hours later we would have come back to a major disaster area as it would have run for 18 days 😲! Not only that the water was coming through the combi boiler to feed the hot tap so we would have had a gas bill in the thousands!
A very very very lucky escape.
From now on the stop **** is getting turned off whenever we go away.

What pre departure house prep do you all do?
Mel

Edit The asterisks in the word stopcock were put in by forum software not me 😂

Happened to us in 2012 after heat pump was fitted. Obviously they had not tighten up a joint of something. We were away for 3 days to attend a funeral. Both bedroom flooded an part of the lounge area. We then also found out that the ceiling board contained asbestos fibres so everything in the bedroom was written of as the ceiling had collapsed. Beds, carpets, clothing, furniture etc all had to be replaced.

Thank goodness for NFU who handled our claim. We had to live in the caravan with 3 dogs and a cat over the winter months. No sites with fully serviced pitches available!

 

[otherclive]

As a slight aside, when we’d been in this house a couple of years we had a new kitchen fitted. To the fitters surprise he looked at the water pipes that were exposed after removing old units and found two supplies had been taken off before the house internal stop valve. I’d had problems isolating a hot water tap when its little “cheap” isolator was stuck absolutely solid. So I’d turned off the external stop valve in the road, as the internal stop valve had no effect. Then when having central heating work they fitted lever handle isolators in the supply and outlet to the large loft water tank. So going away on holiday and isolating just using the internal stop valve wasn’t a fail safe measure in our case. Wonder if the original plumbing had been fittted by a caravan maker 😱

 

[Buckman]

As a slight aside, when we’d been in this house a couple of years we had a new kitchen fitted. To the fitters surprise he looked at the water pipes that were exposed after removing old units and found two supplies had been taken off before the house internal stop valve. I’d had problems isolating a hot water tap when its little “cheap” isolator was stuck absolutely solid. So I’d turned off the external stop valve in the road. Then when having central heating work they fitted lever handle isolators in the supply and outlet to the large loft water tank. So going away on holiday and isolating just using the internal stop valve wasn’t a fail safe measure in our case. Wonder if the original plumbing had been fittted by a caravan maker 😱

Our stop **** is in a very difficult place to access and one needs to get down on your hands and knees to reach way back under the kitchen sink. Like you we had to turn it off at the street valve and that was one hell of a job as it was very tight.

 

[toad a caravan]

If your fitting a new pipe yourself ensure it's WRAS approved,there are some that are not,Check Toolstation as they stock such items

 

[Devonisheaven]

Our stop **** is in a very difficult place to access and one needs to get down on your hands and knees to reach way back under the kitchen sink. Like you we had to turn it off at the street valve and that was one hell of a job as it was very tight.

If you have trouble with the main stopcock by your meter, get hold of your water supplier, it is their job to make sure you can turn your water off.

The supply into your meter is where you want to turn it off, if you get a leak between meter and house……..Your paying!

Never go away, even if it’s for a night, without turning the water off at the meter. Ours is very easy to do and literally takes a few seconds, but worth it in my opinion, it gives you peace of mind.

 

[RogerL]

If you have trouble with the main stopcock by your meter, get hold of your water supplier, it is their job to make sure you can turn your water off.

The supply into your meter is where you want to turn it off, if you get a leak between meter and house……..Your paying!

The street stop valve and meter are about 4ft down - so too far for my arms to stretch!

 

[otherclive]

The street stop valve and meter are about 4ft down - so too far for my arms to stretch!

Likewise.

 

[Devonisheaven]

The street stop valve and meter are about 4ft down - so too far for my arms to stretch!

Blimey! It may be worth contacting your supplier and explaining that, you should be able to turn your water off. I was under the impression that you have to be able to turn it off at the mains, worth asking them.

I have just spoken to my neighbours son in law, he is a plumber, he said you should turn off your water at the mains if you plan to be away for more than 24 hours. He said a burst supply pipe can cost you a lot of money in 12hrs.

 

[otherclive]

Blimey! It may be worth contacting your supplier and explaining that, you should be able to turn your water off. I was under the impression that you have to be able to turn it off at the mains, worth asking them.

I have just spoken to my neighbours son in law, he is a plumber, he said you should turn off your water at the mains if you plan to be away for more than 24 hours. He said a burst supply pipe can cost you a lot of money in 12hrs.

This house and our previous one had mains water valves/meters in the road and were so deep that even lying down I could not readily reach the valve. So I have a long handle stop valve key. I also have a shorter one kept adjacent to the internal stop valve.

 

[otherclive]

If an external leak occurs on your property it’s not always paid by the Owner. Our daughter lives in a semi and suffered a leak under the drive that led to garage flooding. The original supply pipe was under garden but the house had been extended outwards. The water company terminated the old pipe and routed a new one to the side of the drive and under the garden and around the rear of the house. It was then reconnected to original supply pipework with a spur into our daughter’s house and one into the adjacent house. It was all done at no charge, but they were unable to fit a meter due to ground substrate and topography of the spurs under paved areas, nor internally. So it worked out well for her.

 

[Devonisheaven]

If an external leak occurs on your property it’s not always paid by the Owner. Our daughter lives in a semi and suffered a leak under the drive that led to garage flooding. The original supply pipe was under garden but the house had been extended outwards. The water company terminated the old pipe and routed a new one to the side of the drive and under the garden and around the rear of the house. It was then reconnected to original supply pipework with a spur into our daughter’s house and one into the adjacent house. It was all done at no charge, but they were unable to fit a meter due to ground substrate and topography of the spurs under paved areas, nor internally. So it worked out well for her.

Is not having a meter expensive for her?

 

[Buckman]

If an external leak occurs on your property it’s not always paid by the Owner. Our daughter lives in a semi and suffered a leak under the drive that led to garage flooding. The original supply pipe was under garden but the house had been extended outwards. The water company terminated the old pipe and routed a new one to the side of the drive and under the garden and around the rear of the house. It was then reconnected to original supply pipework with a spur into our daughter’s house and one into the adjacent house. It was all done at no charge, but they were unable to fit a meter due to ground substrate and topography of the spurs under paved areas, nor internally. So it worked out well for her.

Normally everything your side of the meter is your responsibility and not the supplier. I am surprised that the water company got involved in re-routing pipes on the owner's side of the meter so the daughter was very lucky for a cheap fix?

 

[otherclive]

Is not having a meter expensive for her?

Not at the moment as her daughter and partner live with her so lots of showers per day, but she would like to investigate further if one can be fitted but it would have to be after somewhere in her external inlet spur which the water company said is not possible given the patio and paths, or in the house but it’s so tight where it comes in, and we don’t want the three year old kitchen knocked about. So it’s a pending topic, perhaps when she has a new patio laid; which is in the strategic plan.

 

[otherclive]

Normally everything your side of the meter is your responsibility and not the supplier. I am surprised that the water company got involved in re-routing pipes on the owner's side of the meter so the daughter was very lucky for a cheap fix?

Some water companies ie Yorkshire would give one “fix” every three years. Guess that’s history nowadays. There is no meter at our daughters house and the supply from the road feeds both her house and her neighbours and they both have spurs off of that main.

 

[Buckman]

Not at the moment as her daughter and partner live with her so lots of showers per day, but she would like to investigate further if one can be fitted but it would have to be after somewhere in her external inlet spur which the water company said is not possible given the patio and paths, or in the house but it’s so tight where it comes in, and we don’t want the three year old kitchen knocked about. So it’s a pending topic, perhaps when she has a new patio laid; which is in the strategic plan.

We had a water meter fitted and our bill dropped by over £80, but there are just the two of us. Our meter was fitted under the kitchen sink where the mains enters the house. They had to remove the shelf to access the pipe. Now for a reading they walk around our street with a hand held unit which accesses the water meter for a reading so not need to enter the house.

 

[Devonisheaven]

We had a water meter fitted and our bill dropped by over £80, but there are just the two of us. Our meter was fitted under the kitchen sink where the mains enters the house. They had to remove the shelf to access the pipe. Now for a reading they walk around our street with a hand held unit which accesses the water meter for a reading so not need to enter the house.

You can also submit your meter readings………Don’t trust the the b******s!

 

[Devonisheaven]

Not at the moment as her daughter and partner live with her so lots of showers per day, but she would like to investigate further if one can be fitted but it would have to be after somewhere in her external inlet spur which the water company said is not possible given the patio and paths, or in the house but it’s so tight where it comes in, and we don’t want the three year old kitchen knocked about. So it’s a pending topic, perhaps when she has a new patio laid; which is in the strategic plan.

I understand what you are saying, but a shower doesn’t use much water…….At least, it doesn’t need to!

 

[otherclive]

I understand what you are saying, but a shower doesn’t use much water…….At least, it doesn’t need to!

Should I tell the family to go and spend a week on a submarine? They all work and it’s their money not mine, and without a meter the time spent showering makes no difference to the bill. If the house was being extended now there would be a seperate water supply to the neighbouring house running parallel to the supply to our daughter’s house. But it still beggars the question of who pays should there be a leak between the road and consumer, especially when parallel supplies are about 0.75m deep and only 300mm apart based on Southerns guidance. Perhaps better not to give it too much thought.

 

[Beachball]

Like another we always turn of the water and gas off and everything is unplugged just had a new wet room put in with a seat for me it more accessible with my mobility issues .

 

[Devonisheaven]

Should I tell the family to go and spend a week on a submarine? They all work and it’s their money not mine, and without a meter the time spent showering makes no difference to the bill. If the house was being extended now there would be a seperate water supply to the neighbouring house running parallel to the supply to our daughter’s house. But it still beggars the question of who pays should there be a leak between the road and consumer, especially when parallel supplies are about 0.75m deep and only 300mm apart based on Southerns guidance. Perhaps better not to give it too much thought.

Tell them to live on a submarine if you want to! 🤪🤷.

Not sure what your point is, but they will be paying a lot for their water, so yes, have long showers, in fact don’t turn it off, just leave it running, then they can jump in and out when they want. After all, they can use as much water as they want, they all work, it’s their money, it makes no difference to the bill!………Stuff everyone else! 🙄

 

[Buckman]

Even if we had switched off the water, the house would still have been flooded as the boiler would have emptied. However even if we had gone out for a few hours, we would still have had the flood. It could even have happened while we were at home as ceiling filled up with water and the ceiling collapsed flooding the house with the water trapped there.

As said luckily we had insurance in place and they sorted out everything and probably claimed from the company's insurance policy. Strangely our premium continue to stay about the same.