Calling all plumbers - I need help....?

Question

My toilet is taking ages to fill back up after flushing, my plumbing is insured with British Gas so I phoned them and they sent Dyno-rod out, and the plumber said I had no stop tap for my toilet at all inside the house. There is a stop tap for the kitchen and bathroom sink, but it doesn't shut off the water to the toilet and bath taps for some bizarre reason. He then said I would have to call an in dependant plumber to turn the water off from outside (as they are not allowed to do that under my insurance) and once the water was off call them back out and they'll replace the washer. He said "It's literally a 5 minute job".

Is it possible I can change the washer myself and turn off the water from outside (I am a 25 year old female living in the UK) as plumbers are expensive and I've not got a lot of money, and there are no males in my life who could help me.

Thanks to anyone who can help me!!!!

Answer 1

two of these answers are WRONG

loo's can be fed from the cold mains OR from the tank in the loft, in the past 30+ years its usually the mains.

if the bathroom is fed from the loft there should be an isolator in the loft or airing cupboard but sometimes they dont get put in

there may be a stopcock in the loo for the wc and basin as well as one in the kitchen, or there may not.

i would also call to check the policy wording on what they are allowed/you are paying them to do

good answer above re they should be able to freeze an isolation, especially a big concern like BG,dynorod, poor

Answer 2

You can turn the water off from inside the cystern. thats where the valve usually is.

Answer 3

Where to start ?  Yes the plumbing advice was appalling ! Unless you have a very unusual plumbing system, the outside stop-tap only controls the water flow to the kitchen cold tap and the cold water tank in the loft. This is required by Water Supply regulations. All other supplies are from the cold tank, including a supply to the hot tank and to the bath, cistern and hand basin all in the bathroom usually.

To do the work yourself, you will need to locate the cold tank,find which pipe supplies cold water to the rest of the house, find a valve in that piperun probably near the tank, but not necessarily so, turn off the water supply, which can be difficult if the valve is stiff from infrequent use, run the bath and basin taps to confirm the water supply has been cut off, then flush the cistern to confirm that is cut off. Only then can you dismantle the cistern valve for inspection and replacement of any parts necessary.

        One other possibility is if you are in a hard water area, then the valve may be blocked in part by lime buildup. Lift the lid of the cistern and rest it on the toilet lid and look inside the cistern. If there is a lot of solid matter on the ball or valve mechanism, it may be that dousing them with lime-removing solutions will fix the problem. Start by flushing the cistern to empty it of water, then support the ball valve arm  in the horizontal position with a piece of wood or similar bridging across the cistern tying the arm and wood together. Then , using a lime-removing solution preferably one of the viscous ones, apply it to the ball and valve and leave to soak.You may need to do this several times to remove all the lime buildup, then fush with clean water. If lime is the trouble, this should do the trick, without employing a plumber !

  Good luck !  

Answer 4

It is not advisable to turn the water off yourself, as these taps can be unpredictable when interferred with and cause a leak. I even had one that became detached from the tap body. What you can do, is to phone your supplier and ask if they will turn the water off for you. Tell them you av a plumber doing some work for you and need to have the water off. When they turn the water of, just say I will ring back to have it turned on again when the job is finished. legally this is the correct thing to do because even a plumber is not allowed to interfere with a valve that is the property of the water supplier.

Answer 5

Complain to British Gas! It is most likely that the bath taps AND the toilet can be isolated by a gate valve in the airing cupboard, assuming you have one. If no airing cupboard you need a plumber with at least half a brain to locate the valve. I think your original plumber is a crook who is after making money on the side. Insist that British Gas send a different plumber to sort it out. Worst scenario, and I really mean worst, is that you acquire a stopcock key and turn the water off yourself while the plumber fixes the cistern. I am sure a decent plumber would assist you in finding and accessing the stopcock (usually in the pavement). Good luck, and speak to a BG supervisor to get the service you are paying for!  

Answer 6

Your plumber is a terrible plumber.

Plumbers can freeze a small section of pipe to stop the water flow and then change whatever they need to. Ask him why he didnt present this as an option.

Answer 7

Your upstairs system is fed from the tank in the loft ( don't drink the cold water in bath or basin ) if you go up into the loft you will find a pipe comming out from low down on the side of the cold water storage tank which will be feeding the bath and sink cold taps, on this pipe you should find a gate valve ( Valve with a red handle ) close this valve then run bath cold tap till water stops then procede to carry out the repair, when complete, leave bath tap open slightly when you re-open the gate valve to avoid an airlock.

PS as Dyno-rod do not employ plumbers then i'm not surprised to hear that he couldn't find a turn off valve, they only clear blockages, Gas board should have sent a plumber, you should insist that they do.

Nissda, i don't know where you do your plumbing but in this country ( GB ) all you say is totaly WRONG, if it's inside your house then it belongs to the householder.