Imagine this: it’s a Sunday morning, you’re half asleep, your head’s a bit sore after last night and all you want is a big, hot mug of coffee.
But when you walk into the kitchen, there's water everywhere and you realise there's a leak coming from somewhere. You know you need to turn the water off because it’s spraying all over the place – water is coming out quickly and you need to act quickly to stop the burst.
You need to turn your stop tap off. What’s the first thing you do?
Most people wouldn’t know the first thing about their stop tap. But that’s OK, we’re here to help.
We’ll start with, what is a stop tap?
There are two types of stop tap (sometimes called a stop cock), external stop taps and your internal stop taps. Your external one is our responsibility, but your internal stop tap is for you to look after. Stop taps stop the water coming out of your taps and is a life saver when it comes to internal bursts or leaks.
What does it look like?
Your stop tap will look a little something like this:
Where is your stop tap?
Your stop tap can be in a number of locations, but the most common locations (whether you live in a house or a flat) include these places:
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Under a kitchen sink
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Kitchen cupboard
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In a connecting garage or utility room
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Bathroom
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Cellar
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Cloakroom
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Under the stairs
Some of the quirkier builders pop them in all sorts of places, so if you’re not sure where yours is, it’s best to call in a plumber to help you find it.
But how do you turn it off?
This is the most important question – as this can really help you if you have an internal leak or burst. To turn your water supply off, simply turn the stop tap fully clockwise.
And that’s pretty much everything you’ll need to know if you get an internal burst or leak. Taking five minutes out your day to nip around the house and locate your stop tap can save you so much stress and panic if/when you have an internal burst. Why not do it now?
Remember, we’re on hand if you need us.
