Stopcock Replacement in Portsmouth

Move items stored under the kitchen sink or wherever your stopcock is located. We'll need clear access to work and may need to remove floor sections if the valve is under floorboards in older Portsmouth properties.

Find your water meter cover in the pavement outside - we'll need to turn off the boundary stop tap there. In Portsmouth's terraced streets like those around Albert Road, these are often shared between properties or difficult to access.

Move anything valuable away from the work area. Even with the mains turned off, there's usually residual water in pipes that will drain out when we disconnect the old stopcock.

If your stopcock also feeds your heating system, turning off the water may affect your boiler. We'll advise if you need to turn off the heating beforehand to prevent the boiler from trying to refill.

Many properties around Southsea and Old Portsmouth have original lead or early copper pipework. The stopcock may be fitted with old imperial sized fittings that need adapting to modern 15mm or 22mm copper pipe.

Some terraced streets have shared external stopcocks serving multiple properties. We'll need to coordinate with neighbours and work quickly to minimise disruption to adjoining homes when the supply is turned off.

Portsmouth's moderately hard water causes limescale buildup inside old stopcocks. This is why they seize - the gate mechanism gets crusted up. Modern quarter-turn valves are less prone to scale problems.

Many Portsmouth properties have small galley kitchens with limited space under sinks. We may recommend relocating the stopcock to a more accessible position, especially if you're elderly or have mobility issues.