If you need to control the water flow into your home, you need to be able to locate your stop tap. A stop tap can be found outside of the home, but there’s often an internal stop tap that will allow you to control your home or building’s water supply.
Internal Stop Tap
An internal stop tap is easy to find, and the tap is often found where the pipe enters your home. The age of your home as well as the style of your home will impact the exact location of the stop tap.
Common areas where you’ll find the stop tap are:
- Utility rooms
- Bathroom
- Under the kitchen sink
- In the kitchen cupboard
- Cellar
- Garage
- Under the stairs
While you might not use an internal stop tap often, it’s vital to know where it’s located in your home. A regular check and test of your tap is recommended to ensure that if you need to control your home’s water, you can.
If your stop tap is broken, a plumber can help you fix the problem.
All stop taps work in the same way:
- Turn the stop counterclockwise to open up the stop tap
- Turn the stop clockwise to shut off the water
When testing the valve, it’s recommended that you open the tap fully and then turn the knob a quarter of a turn to help prevent the stop tap from seizing up.
External Stop Tap
External stop taps are used when you need to turn off the water in your home from the outside. For example, if your basement is flooding because of a broken pipe, you may need to turn off the water flow into the home via the stop tap.
The stop tap can be placed anywhere on the property, but the most common areas include:
- In the footpath
- In your metal chamber
- Under a cover
You may need a key to open your external stop tap. If you just purchased a property or don’t know where your stop tap is located, there are a few ways to find your stop tap:
- Call a plumber and ask for their help locating the external stop tap
- Investigate your property and try to find the stop tap
- Ask your neighbor where their stop tap is located – your stop tap is likely in the same area on your property
If you live on an older property, there’s a chance that you share a stop tap with your neighbors. This is seen with terraced properties which often have the same water supply in a shared manner.
This means everyone’s water will be turned off, so make sure you notify your neighbors before turning off a shared stop tap. If you ahve any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
