Plumber / Plumbers / Plumbing - Show us your pipes

Ask them to fit one

Thames Water?

In which way could they try to fob me off. Do they have to fit a meter if I request one? (I'm not sure atm, but I think we don't have one)

You’ll have a stop cock in the street that can be turned off, might do a Few house but he should have a key to turn it off. I’d speak to him and then say to you neighbour my internal stopcock needs fixed and the plumbers gonna have to turn it off in the street. If folk kick off I’d probs still do it, I certainly wouldn’t be trying to freeze a water main or doing it live. Duck that

It's the one in the street that is also not functional. Apparently it's the original fitment that should have been replaced, like all of the other ones have been.

The internal one isn’t there problem but the street one is anything in the boundary mind is your problem. That should be fixed but it’ll probs be deemed as not essential right now!

Yeah, maybe it's their way of saying not essential: not legally our problem until your house is pissing flood water or the walls are falling down.

Let's hope the plumbers can do this Aladdin valve magic and just fix the internal issue like nice people.

Covid excuse at best.

Water companies must fit meters for free on request unless it's justifiably impractical, such as flats with shared pipes. You can complain to Ofwat is they refuse.

They will fit them inside or outside in the street but to do it they have to be able to turn off the supply to your dwelling, hence they need a working isolation valve on the supply.

Won't be quick though. A few weeks for the booking.

Super, thanks for all the helpful advice!
I feel much better equipped to get this sorted now 😊

Surprise surprise. I didn't learn my lesson and I had a massive, high pressure leak.
A much more competent emergency plumber came out and just furking sprayed some WD40 on the internal shut off valve that the last cowboy was scared of and got it to work.

I'll be doing future repairs myself.

not legally our problem until your house is pissing flood water or the walls are falling down

This was absolute bullshit btw. First thing I did was call Thames Water and explain that my internal valve is not functional and that the one on the street was also broken. I told them that I have a high pressure leak and it cannot be shut off.
This turned out to be untrue, which I'm happy about. But the point is that they just fobbed me off.

Thames Water have been out about 3 times to deal with a massive recurring leak just up the road. I called them in the last time as it hadn't been reported even though it was pissing water for hours.
Every time, they manage to shut off half of the roads water supply, including mine!

I guess I'm going to have a look at the pipes around the internal shut off myself when I have the time.

That's poor from TW. The external stop tap IS their responsibility- suppose it's a case of it being non essential
They are having a horrid time with their performance and been knee capped by ofwat for it

What is this mixer shower unit called. The mixer is fucked and needs replacing as it is letting cold water into the hot water system.

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You may have a knackered TMV on the mixer. If they still make the replacements then swap it out. Which you know.

Take it out and show it to a plumbers merchant to see if they recognise it or Google any part numbers on it.

Put check valves on the hot and cold. Stops water going the opposite way.

If the mixer is faulty non return values won’t make a diffrnece.

Having never worked on a shower like that yet and never seeing anything like that in the merchants. I think you’ll struggle to get a replacement, probs best online.

There’s a plumbing thread??

What type of shower mixer is this? The shower doesn’t get that hot whereas the water out the tap is scalding.

I’ve turned dhw temp to 65 on the boiler but the shower is still only about 45.

How do you work out it’s a shower problem and not a boiler problem?

Can I just buy a new valve? Is this mixer thermostatic? It’s only got one lever to turn. On and hotter is one lever that goes around.

What brand is this? Wish taps were more like wheels and covered in stickers so you know what to google for replacement parts.

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If it's only giving 45C for a 65C boiler temperature then it's a TMV (Thermostatic Mixer Valve) shower.

Believe me, you don't want a 65C shower temperature. Anything you wash human flesh with should be about 43C to prevent scalding.

Kitchen taps are fine being hotter as cutlery and crockery don't care.

Doesn't it say THERMOSTATIC at the bottom? 45 seems pretty warm for a shower.

That's the maximum temperature allowed. NHS guidelines give 43C +/- 2C for hot water outlet temps.

You don't have to turn it all the way up.

I actually need a 180mm thermostatic bath/shower mixer. Recommendations?

yip, my Grohe digital shower control gives a lovely warm shower at 38 degrees. My wife occasionally turns it up to 40 degrees but that is far too hot for me.

Id say 45 is roasting for a shower, you must have asbestos skin if its not hot enough.

I’ll start by turning the dhw down a bit and see if helps.

You’re right - it does say that thermostatic but I can’t seem to get into it for any further details.

Thanks for all the pointers so far. Much appreciated ❤️

I changed the bath taps and in the process disturbed the connection between the flex and the trap on the drain plug, it's now leaking from the compression fitting. I think the rubber washer in the fitting has hardened and a replacement will stop the leak, only thing is I can't find it as a replacement part.

Inner diameter 26.8mm
Outer diamete 40mm
Thickness 4mm

For now I've gone to town with Plumber's Mait so we can use the shower but obviously need a proper fix asap. Can anyone send me a link to a replacement washer, or what to ask for at a plumbing shop. Really shouldn't have tried to do this on a weeknight...

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Probably ask for something like 3/4" BSP sized rubber washer

or cut up a piece of flat rubber

this is very low pressure so most anything will do

https://www.plumbers-mate-sales.co.uk/mcalpine-34-flat-sealing-washer-40mm-x-26mm---39004032-5134-p.asp