Where's my stop tap? Find it before you need it
When a pipe bursts, the difference between a mop-up and an insurance claim is how fast the water goes off. That comes down to one question you should be able to answer right now: where is your stop tap?
Where to look
- Under the kitchen sink — the most common spot in UK homes
- Where the water pipe enters the house: cupboard under the stairs, downstairs toilet, garage or utility room
- In older terraces: sometimes under the front-room floorboards near the front door
- Newer builds: often a white plastic lever valve rather than a brass tap
Test it today
Stop taps that haven't moved in years seize open. Turn yours off (clockwise) and on again once or twice a year so it works the day you need it. If it's seized, don't force it with a wrench — the spindle can snap, which turns a precaution into an emergency. That's a quick job for us to replace with a modern lever valve.
There's also an outdoor stopcock at the property boundary, usually under a small cover marked 'W' in the footpath. It needs a long stopcock key and turns off water to the whole property — worth knowing about, but the internal tap is your first move.
If a pipe bursts right now
- Stop tap off (clockwise)
- Open the cold taps to drain the pipes down quickly
- Water near lights or sockets? Turn the affected circuit off at the consumer unit
- Then call us — photos help us arrive with the right parts