Just received a letter from my water company, offering this. Now I have my own house I am wondering if it is something I should be considering taking out.
The house is suspected to be have been built sometime in the early 1900s.
Premium for the first year is 50p a month, for the first year, rising to £10/m thereafter, if I respond by 16.12.20.
Worth it, do you think? They give examples of costs, like £478 to locate, excavate and repair a leak, and £255 to unblock a private drain.
One thing I want somebody here (no, home, not the forum) is help me find an indoor stop cock. Or who to contact to fit one that is accessible.
It is essential to know where your indoor stop cock is in case of leaks.
The most likely place is in the kitchen, below your sink. However, it could be anywhere. I have heard of some being found underneath the floor somewhere!
Where have you looked so far?
Personally I avoid that sort of thing. If your drains have worked OK since 1900 then I reckon they will last a bit longer. If something does go wrong, get someone in to fix it. That’s just my way of doing things, always has been but then I can do lots of repairs myself.
As for the internal stopcock, any plumber should be able to fit one for you. He should be able to turn your water supply off from the street. If that is seized, your water supplier would have to fix it. If there is no external stopcock (it does happen) you can arrange for the supplier to turn off the supply while your plumber fits one inside. There is a time limit and they charge if you go ver. It used to be about twenty minutes.
Jazzi , that’s interesting to me , I live alone and have concerns as the years go by about leaks and drains because I wouldn’t know who to ring and if so would they overcharge etcetc , which company sent the paperwork. I’d like to find out more .
Check your house insurance, you might be covered, have you ever had drain problems?, if not then it’s unlikely you will have in the future although it could happen, I would see if you can find other companies that will cover you should you decide to go that route…
It’s always hard to decide whether to insure against these things or not but as others have said, if they have worked ok since 1900…
It is worth checking your household policy as well, which should normally cover the cost of plumbing leaks and the damage caused, so in the event you could just pay a local plumber to fix it and claim off your household policy.
Regarding your stop tap, I would have enquired of the previous occupier on handover but having said that, stop taps are more than often found under the kitchen sink as that is where the majority of rising mains enter the house, but if not then try to locate where the water actually enters the property and the stop tap should be very close to it, maybe in a cupboard near the door perhaps? If you can’t find it though, then call your water supplier who would normally help you out, but before you do then go on their website and register as a vulnerable person, which gives them a greater responsibility for your care regarding their supply…
For those not following my posts over the past 6-8 months, I only bought this house in May. The surveyor reported, in Homebuyer’s report, that there was no known internal stop cock, and recommended one be fitted. As in, the previous owners, who’d lived here 20 years, didn’t know its location. I checked both holes outside my property when I first moved in. The meter is in one, and down a very deep chamber in the other is presumably the one to turn off supply.
I would love to sort out the stop cock, but don’t know who to ask.
The previous owners had a porch built, so perhaps it is in my front room, in which case I’d hate the thought of pulling up boards. I wondered if it would be possible for someone to pull up boards in the porch to access the pipe, to install a stop cock. I wouldn’t know where to begin looking inside the house.
Reading back your replies, it was suggested a plumber could fit one. I will make some more enquiries.
I need to speak to a few neighbours, methinks.
Thanks Barry, good advice about registering as vulnerable.
Susan, it was my water company that sent the letter. Yes, as a single person I have always made a point of attempting to keep on top of utility suppliers and their responsibilities. Up until last year I was in the flat, and had bought it from new, so therefore didn’t feel the need for any insurance for that.
Jan, if you have a water meter then the main stop cock is adjacent to it down the same hole and is turned off using a special key which all plumbers carry. If you were to employ a plumber then to fit you a new stop cock in the house, then he would be easily able to isolate the supply whilst he fitted you a stop tap in a convenient position on your rising main and it shouldn’t be a big or expensive job.
See my post no. 9. Yes, I do know the location of the outside one, but as also mentioned, the chamber is very deep. I don’t have the key, and don’t want to bother buying one.
We have a matt well with a hatch in our front hall. The stop cock is within hand reach under the hatch. As someone mentioned they can get stiff with under use so I periodically close and open it to keep it free.
It sounds like a lever type would suit you, rather than a screw down type or perhaps have both fitted. Once the water is off, the whole job should take about 20 minutes.
Most are doing this now and often in conjunction with Homeserve. I had a dispute with Homeserve when my general house insurance sent Homeserve along to look at a large broken window after a swan had decided to fly into it. They were worse than useless and demanded my policy’s £50 excess before they would even measure up. I told them where to go in no uncertain terms and employed my local glazier. My insurance paid the fully descriptive bill in full minus the £50 excess. To demand the excess before the job is finished to my satisfaction is completely unacceptable but apparently is typical of dodgy Homeserve.
