The cold water tap on my bath has stopped working. It was fine, then 
one evening I turned it on and there was a very small trickle of 
water, which then stopped. Now there's no water coming out at all. 
All the other taps in the house are fine.

We just purchased the house and are thus very house-poor, so are 
hoping we can fix this ourselves. Any hints on what the problem might 
be, and how difficult it will be to fix? We're far from being experts 
- to give you some idea, we've yet to work out how to actually turn 
the water supply off to do this (think it might be in the loft, will 
be looking this weekend)!

-- 
Hedgehog

On Fri, 17 Jun 2005 22:38:02 +0100, GlintingHedgehog
 babbled like a waterfall and said:


>The cold water tap on my bath has stopped working. It was fine, then 
>one evening I turned it on and there was a very small trickle of 
>water, which then stopped. Now there's no water coming out at all. 
>All the other taps in the house are fine.
>
>We just purchased the house and are thus very house-poor, so are 
>hoping we can fix this ourselves. Any hints on what the problem might 
>be, and how difficult it will be to fix? We're far from being experts 
>- to give you some idea, we've yet to work out how to actually turn 
>the water supply off to do this (think it might be in the loft, will 
>be looking this weekend)!


Have you been in this house more than a few days?
If not it sounds like a tank in the roof has emptied and the mains tap
allowing it to be filled up is closed.

"EricP"  wrote in message
news:oug6b1lscb0idljo9blsgl8u6pgq5qd632@4ax.com...

> On Fri, 17 Jun 2005 22:38:02 +0100, GlintingHedgehog
>  babbled like a waterfall and said:
>
> >The cold water tap on my bath has stopped working. It was fine, then
> >one evening I turned it on and there was a very small trickle of
> >water, which then stopped. Now there's no water coming out at all.
> >All the other taps in the house are fine.
> >
> >We just purchased the house and are thus very house-poor, so are
> >hoping we can fix this ourselves. Any hints on what the problem might
> >be, and how difficult it will be to fix? We're far from being experts
> >- to give you some idea, we've yet to work out how to actually turn
> >the water supply off to do this (think it might be in the loft, will
> >be looking this weekend)!
>
> Have you been in this house more than a few days?
> If not it sounds like a tank in the roof has emptied and the mains tap
> allowing it to be filled up is closed.
>

The most likely place to find that tap is under the sink, or in the
cupboards under the stairs. But I'm not totally convinced that the stopvalve
is closed, at least one tap in the house, probably the kitchen sink cold
tap, should be fed from the rising main. Is/are the toilet cistern(s)
filling up after flushing?

How old is the property?

Steve

It could also be a stuck ball valve in your storage tank.  Do the other hot
water taps work in the house ?

This is especially common when a house has been left void fro any period of
time

David

In article , 
ericp@blueyonder.co.uk says...

> Have you been in this house more than a few days?


About three weeks - it stopped working about five days ago.


> If not it sounds like a tank in the roof has emptied and the mains tap
> allowing it to be filled up is closed.


Wouldn't that affect other taps too though? Everything else is 
working normally.

-- 
Hedgehog

In article <d8vhb0$n9$1@news8.svr.pol.co.uk>, 
shazzbat@spamlessness.co.uk says...

> The most likely place to find that tap is under the sink, or in the
> cupboards under the stairs. 


Yep, checked those. And everywhere else we could think of, except the 
attic (because access to the attic-ladder was blocked by boxes of 
not-yet-unpacked stuff). 


> But I'm not totally convinced that the stopvalve
> is closed, at least one tap in the house, probably the kitchen sink cold
> tap, should be fed from the rising main. Is/are the toilet cistern(s)
> filling up after flushing?


Yes, all toilets are working normally, all other taps in house are 
working normally, shower in ensuite is fine...it's just the one tap 
that isn't doing anything.


> How old is the property?


About 12-13 years old. 

-- 
Hedgehog

In article <d90csb$4eb$1@news7.svr.pol.co.uk>, 
david@roofconsultant.fsnet.co.uk says...

> It could also be a stuck ball valve in your storage tank.  Do the other hot
> water taps work in the house ?


Well it's a cold water tap that isn't working, but all other taps in 
the house, both hot and cold, are working fine.


> This is especially common when a house has been left void fro any period of
> time


We moved in the day after the previous owners moved out. 

-- 
Hedgehog

On Sat, 18 Jun 2005 08:22:40 +0100, GlintingHedgehog
 wrote:


>In article , 
>ericp@blueyonder.co.uk says...
>> Have you been in this house more than a few days?
>
>About three weeks - it stopped working about five days ago.
>
>> If not it sounds like a tank in the roof has emptied and the mains tap
>> allowing it to be filled up is closed.
>
>Wouldn't that affect other taps too though? Everything else is 
>working normally.



It's more likely that the washer & housing has seized in the tap.
Usually caused by overtightening the tap when it starts dripping.

A new washer should sort it.

Is there an inline shut-off valve to the tap? 

I would have thought there would be in a house which is relatively
new.

If you can't find your stopcock (under the sink usually), you can turn
the mains off in the street usually.

Don

"Don Spumey"  wrote in message 
news:dhv7b1htqnl7u74mdg435m0lsp5k5bjogh@4ax.com...

> On Sat, 18 Jun 2005 08:22:40 +0100, GlintingHedgehog
>  wrote:
>
>>In article ,
>>ericp@blueyonder.co.uk says...
>>> Have you been in this house more than a few days?
>>
>>About three weeks - it stopped working about five days ago.
>>
>>> If not it sounds like a tank in the roof has emptied and the mains tap
>>> allowing it to be filled up is closed.
>>
>>Wouldn't that affect other taps too though? Everything else is
>>working normally.
>
>
> It's more likely that the washer & housing has seized in the tap.
> Usually caused by overtightening the tap when it starts dripping.
>
> A new washer should sort it.
>
> Is there an inline shut-off valve to the tap?
>
> I would have thought there would be in a house which is relatively
> new.
>
> If you can't find your stopcock (under the sink usually), you can turn
> the mains off in the street usually.
>


You will also have to drain the tank off first via another tap.  If you 
can't find a means of turning off the incoming supply you will have to get 
into the loft and tie up the ball valve.   Unless you are really lucky and 
have Supataps (identified where supply pipe enters top of tap and 
know/outlet are one piece) on which repairs can be made without shutting off 
the supply.
-- 
Keith Willcocks
(If you can't laugh at life, it ain't worth living!)

"Keith Willcocks"  wrote in message 
news:d914a5$eq9$1@nwrdmz03.dmz.ncs.ea.ibs-infra.bt.com...

>
> "Don Spumey"  wrote in message 
> news:dhv7b1htqnl7u74mdg435m0lsp5k5bjogh@4ax.com...
>> On Sat, 18 Jun 2005 08:22:40 +0100, GlintingHedgehog
>>  wrote:
>>
>>>In article ,
>>>ericp@blueyonder.co.uk says...
>>>> Have you been in this house more than a few days?
>>>
>>>About three weeks - it stopped working about five days ago.
>>>
>>>> If not it sounds like a tank in the roof has emptied and the mains tap
>>>> allowing it to be filled up is closed.
>>>
>>>Wouldn't that affect other taps too though? Everything else is
>>>working normally.
>>
>>
>> It's more likely that the washer & housing has seized in the tap.
>> Usually caused by overtightening the tap when it starts dripping.
>>
>> A new washer should sort it.
>>
>> Is there an inline shut-off valve to the tap?
>>
>> I would have thought there would be in a house which is relatively
>> new.
>>
>> If you can't find your stopcock (under the sink usually), you can turn
>> the mains off in the street usually.
>>
>
> You will also have to drain the tank off first via another tap.  If you 
> can't find a means of turning off the incoming supply you will have to get 
> into the loft and tie up the ball valve.   Unless you are really lucky and 
> have Supataps (identified where supply pipe enters top of tap and 
> know/outlet are one piece) on which repairs can be made without shutting 
> off the supply.



That should have been knob/outlet

In article <d914e0$ae3$1@nwrdmz01.dmz.ncs.ea.ibs-infra.bt.com>, 
buccaneer@invalidaddress.com says...

> That should have been knob/outlet 


Oh thank goodness. I was staring at it thinking my knowledge was even 
poorer than I'd thought LOL

Will hunt down the stopcock (after I've caught up on laundry!) and 
see what I can do. The plan is not to do anything I'm not 100% 
certain of until tomorrow afternoon, because at least then if I have 
to phone a plumber, I can leave the water off until Monday morning 
and avoid paying weekend rates!

Thanks to all for your help - will let you know how I get on.

-- 
Hedgehog

"GlintingHedgehog"  wrote in message
news:MPG.1d1e2a206c8b20fb9896ef@nntp.dsl.pipex.com...

> In article <d914e0$ae3$1@nwrdmz01.dmz.ncs.ea.ibs-infra.bt.com>,
> buccaneer@invalidaddress.com says...
> > That should have been knob/outlet
>
> Oh thank goodness. I was staring at it thinking my knowledge was even
> poorer than I'd thought LOL
>
> Will hunt down the stopcock (after I've caught up on laundry!) and
> see what I can do. The plan is not to do anything I'm not 100%
> certain of until tomorrow afternoon, because at least then if I have
> to phone a plumber, I can leave the water off until Monday morning
> and avoid paying weekend rates!
>
> Thanks to all for your help - will let you know how I get on.
>
> Hedgehog
>


Please do let us know.  We always like a good laugh around the group.  :-)

Only kidding.  LOL

In article <9qVse.52243$G8.12266@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk>, 
spam.guard@_spam_guard.com says...
 

> Please do let us know.  We always like a good laugh around the group.  :-)
> 
> Only kidding.  LOL


:-p~~~~~~

Don't jinx me! LOL 

-- 
Hedgehog

In article <9qVse.52243$G8.12266@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk>, 
spam.guard@_spam_guard.com says...

> Please do let us know.  We always like a good laugh around the group.  :-)


Okay, well here's your laugh for this evening :-)

My husband took the top of the tap off and replaced the "springy 
thing" that apparently popped off it about a week ago. Note: this is 
the first I've heard about this "springy thing"! - apparently at no 
point did it occur to him that its absence and the lack of water 
flowing might be connected!

And whaddya know...we have cold water. Never even got around to 
checking out the attic...

-- 
Hedgehog

"GlintingHedgehog"  wrote in message
news:MPG.1d1fbed9454a25ef9896f4@nntp.dsl.pipex.com...

> In article <9qVse.52243$G8.12266@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk>,
> spam.guard@_spam_guard.com says...
> > Please do let us know.  We always like a good laugh around the group.
:-)
>
> Okay, well here's your laugh for this evening :-)
>
> My husband took the top of the tap off and replaced the "springy
> thing" that apparently popped off it about a week ago. Note: this is
> the first I've heard about this "springy thing"! - apparently at no
> point did it occur to him that its absence and the lack of water
> flowing might be connected!
>
> And whaddya know...we have cold water. Never even got around to
> checking out the attic...
>
> Hedgehog
>

Gees eh.  See these springy things, nothing but a damn nuisance.  :-) LOL

Glad it's all working now though.  And if it ever pops off again, and it
isn't the springy thing, you know where we are.  :-)

"GlintingHedgehog"  wrote in message
news:MPG.1d1fbed9454a25ef9896f4@nntp.dsl.pipex.com...

> In article <9qVse.52243$G8.12266@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk>,
> spam.guard@_spam_guard.com says...
> > Please do let us know.  We always like a good laugh around the group.
:-)
>
> Okay, well here's your laugh for this evening :-)
>
> My husband took the top of the tap off and replaced the "springy
> thing" that apparently popped off it about a week ago. Note: this is
> the first I've heard about this "springy thing"! - apparently at no
> point did it occur to him that its absence and the lack of water
> flowing might be connected!
>
> And whaddya know...we have cold water. Never even got around to
> checking out the attic...
>
> --
> Hedgehog


Well done on the springy thing front. I have no idea what the springy thing
is, my taps haven't got them.

 Now for safety's sake in future, just make sure you know where
the shutoff tap(stopcock) is. When you need it, you'll probably need it
RIGHT
NOW!!!! There will be children screaming, the lights will be out, and water
will be pouring through the light fittings in the ceiling. All right, that
is the worst case scenario, but it can happen.

As I said before, it may be under the sink, under the stairs, in the meter
cupboard or in a box on the outside wall of your house. Somewhere there is a
pipe bringing water from the mains outside into your property. This is
called the rising main. Given that the property is fairly young, this will
almost certainly be a blue plastic pipe, 1"-1.5" (outside) diameter  There
will be a brass or plastic tap on it, and then the piping will probably be
copper. You need to make sure you can operate this tap. Turn it off all the
way, turn it back on all the way, then turn it just a half turn towards off
again. This stops it getting jammed against the back stop. Doing this every
couple of months means that it is likely to remain usable for when you need
it.

And for the same reasons you also need to know how to turn off the
electricity and the gas.

Steve

In article <d94pvn$c6s$1@newsg1.svr.pol.co.uk>, 
shazzbat@spamlessness.co.uk says...

> Well done on the springy thing front. I have no idea what the springy thing
> is, my taps haven't got them.


LOL - my taps do, and I still don't know what it is!


>  Now for safety's sake in future, just make sure you know where
> the shutoff tap(stopcock) is. When you need it, you'll probably need it
> RIGHT
> NOW!!!! There will be children screaming, the lights will be out, and water
> will be pouring through the light fittings in the ceiling. All right, that
> is the worst case scenario, but it can happen.


BTDT - we had a major flood in a house we had just moved into a few 
years ago. Middle of night, baby screaming, and yes - water pouring 
through ceiling (into the basement where all our moving boxes were 
stored...) Not Fun. The insurance claim - for construction work and 
replacement of stuff - ran into several tens of thousands.


> As I said before, it may be under the sink, under the stairs, in the meter
> cupboard or in a box on the outside wall of your house. Somewhere there is a
> pipe bringing water from the mains outside into your property. This is
> called the rising main. Given that the property is fairly young, this will
> almost certainly be a blue plastic pipe, 1"-1.5" (outside) diameter  There
> will be a brass or plastic tap on it, and then the piping will probably be
> copper. You need to make sure you can operate this tap. Turn it off all the
> way, turn it back on all the way, then turn it just a half turn towards off
> again. This stops it getting jammed against the back stop. Doing this every
> couple of months means that it is likely to remain usable for when you need
> it.


Thanks for all of this; I'm sure it will make it much easier to 
identify! :-)


> And for the same reasons you also need to know how to turn off the
> electricity and the gas.


No gas, and we've already figured out the electricity.

Thanks for all the help - this is a great group, and I will no doubt 
return with more (possibly dumb) questions shortly :-)

-- 
Hedgehog