No external stop tap?

[chippy1]

Hi All,

Thanks again for everyones help in my last thread....you were all very helpful and I'm back for alittle more advice please!


Is it an issue if I dont have an external stop tap? My property is a terrace and about 250years old......I've contacted the water company who looked back over old notes on their system and they told me the internal water meter was fitted next to the internal stop tap as their engineers couldnt find an external stop tap when they fitted the meter 4 or 5 years ago (for a previous owner). I recently had a small leak on my internal stop tap that was fixed but this did make me a little concerned that the water company seem to have washed their hands about the lack of an external stop tap and I just wanted to check with the very knowledgeable people in this forum whether this is an issue and if it is, who is responsible? With the agreement of my next door neighbours I have tried all the external taps each side of my property and they dont seem to be connected to my house and there is nothing located in any neighbours garden.....is it normal for old properties not to have an external stop tap?

Many thanks again for any help

 

[livias]

There was none on a Victorian terrace house I owned in Bristol
The water company came and put one in at no cost to me. Mind you that was a few years ago

 

[88v8]

I had assumed an external stopcock was routine. We learn something new every day !!

Discussion here https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2732137 the last post is the most informative.

Ivor

 

[Abi Cott]

I've not had one in most of the houses I've lived in. One fun arrangement was that my internal stopcock turned off the water to 4 properties.

 

[chippy1]

Thanks all....it would seem that its more common than I expected. Good to know the responsibility is with the water company if this ever becomes an issue. appreciate the replies!

 

[Flyfisher]

I had assumed an external stopcock was routine. We learn something new every day !!

Me too. My understanding is that the ‘external’ stopcock marks the endpoint of the water company’s responsibility. By having this inside a property, would the water company be responsible for any damage caused by a leak or failure of that stopcock?

I’m surprised the water company did not install the meter outside the property, both for this reason and for ease of access for reading. At a previous house the outside stopcock to our property was jammed tight and could not be turned off. We contacted the water company and they came out to replace it (free of charge). I was intrigued to learn that they used dry ice to temporarily freeze the supply pipe while they replaced the stopcock, thus not needing to disrupt water supply to the neighbouring properties.

I would contact the water company and ask then to move their water meter outside.

 

[chippy1]

I had assumed an external stopcock was routine. We learn something new every day !!

Me too. My understanding is that the ‘external’ stopcock marks the endpoint of the water company’s responsibility. By having this inside a property, would the water company be responsible for any damage caused by a leak or failure of that stopcock?

I’m surprised the water company did not install the meter outside the property, both for this reason and for ease of access for reading. At a previous house the outside stopcock to our property was jammed tight and could not be turned off. We contacted the water company and they came out to replace it (free of charge). I was intrigued to learn that they used dry ice to temporarily freeze the supply pipe while they replaced the stopcock, thus not needing to disrupt water supply to the neighbouring properties.

I would contact the water company and ask then to move their water meter outside.

Hi Flyfisher,

I agree....this all happened before I purchased the property so didnt have any say over where the meter was installed. The water company(Anglian water) access readings remotely so never need to come inside the property. The added issue is that I'm on a shared supply with many other properties and going off the location of other stopcocks in the street, the main pipe seems to run on the path just outside the boundary line to all the properties either side of me....they have external stopcocks fitted but I dont....


thanks again for your comments

 

[fernicarry]

We also couldn't find an outside stopcock and needed to re-arrange the supply into the house. The plumber did the work live ... He and everything within about a 12' radius got very wet. Since found a stop cock out in the road under all the mud and grunge, must give it a go sometime to see if it moves.

 

[MatthewC]

My water company fitted a meter (at my request) and it was beside the external stop cock. When the house next door was occupied after being empty for a year, my next water bill was huge!

Yes, they wanted me to pay for next door's water. Then when I told them, they cancelled the paid bills for the previous year and issued a new one (more than double) based on their unmetered rate... What fun I had.