How To Isolate Water Supply To Shower

When you have a water leak every second counts in minimising water damage to your property.

Knowing how to place what volition isolate your water and where it will be located could save you thousands in property repairs, then we'll commencement with the more likely ways to isolate your water supply and so testify some less popular options.

Isolating the h2o at the primary meter

If you live in a house or bungalow, the easiest mode to stop the menstruation of h2o without having to search high and low for stop cocks and check valves is to get outside your property, locate the main water meter in the pavement, elevator the lid and plough the handle a ane/4 turn. Turning the water off at the meter will mean your holding will non have any h2o, however information technology is extremely quick to exercise as the water meter is normally always out the front of your property. Yous will need a flat head screwdriver to lift the hat to betrayal the water meter. (a butter pocketknife could work if you don't take any tools on hand)

If yous live in a flat or where in that location are multiple properties in a modest area it may be hard to identify which water meter is for your belongings, peculiarly if you are in a hurry.

Isolating the water via the stopcock

There may be multiple stopcocks inside your property, however most properties have a principal one every bit the water pipage enters the property. Turning the water off at the main stopcock will isolate the h2o to the whole belongings. If you live in a flat the stopcock could be in either a communal expanse or within your apartment itself. When you locate the stopcock, merely plow it clockwise all the style to shut off the water.

Isolating sections of your property water supply

In a well desiged hot & cold water system inside a property you lot should take numerous isolating valves, gate valves, globe valves, stop valves, cheque valves, ball valves, and bufferfly valves prior to any main water bespeak such as a toilet, wash bowl, sink, bath or shower, then that each water signal can be separately isolating from the main flow of water.

For exampe, if yous have a water leak from a cleaved tap head then y'all should be able to isolate just the taps by locating the valve beneath and shutting the water off.

Nigh valves tin can be hand operated or be shut off with a flat head screwdriver.

An example of some valves can be found below.

Gate valves

Gate valves are more mutual in commercial and industrial applications and are intended for fully opened or fully closed applications and should non exist used to throttle the water pressuure/supply.

When the cycle is turned clockwise a gate (also known as a wedge or disc) is lowered and completely cuts the period of water.

When the wheel is turned counter-clockwise the gate is raised into the body of the valve which means no loss of pressure.

Gate valves can seize up afterward being left open or closed for long periods of time.

Stop valves

Yous volition usually find a end valve backside your toilet or bidet, under your sink or wash-hand bowl, or at whatever other h2o point.

Although all valves tin can stop the flow of water non all are designed to do so, nonetheless as the name suggests this is exactly what a stop valve is made for.

Stop valves are a favourite for existence easy to operate and their resemblance to a traditional tap head.

Stop valves tin be straight or angled and ordinarily operate on a 1/4 plough style.

Ball valves

Probably the about widely-used valve design, ball valves utilise a cored, rotating ball to control flow. Usually operated past lever handle, they also offer a quick view of their status.

Ball valves design makes them ideal for full-flow applications, and their piece of cake, low-wear operation is likewise fantabulous for throttling.

A quality brawl valve can be opened and closed a hundred times a 24-hour interval with petty impact on the valve mechanism itself, so y'all can expect to get a long life out of these valves with very little maintenance or trouble.

Ball valves come in a very wide range of materials and styles, including brass, stainless steel, PVC, threaded, and push-to-fit, to accommodate about whatever application.