Surestop

[helpsy]

Hi
Just wondering if anyone has used/fitted or had any experience with the Surestop isolating valve/switch

 

[Puddle]

Have fitted two ,work looovey,how long for ,that is another question.
When left for five years,will it still operate with not moving for so long and filled with bits of grit ect,we will see,more plastic

 

[bcp]

I was at Surestop a coupe of months ago. Got to see them, strip them (the valves) and rebuild them. It's a really good bit of kit and the quality control is tight too. Grit or dirt is the main issue, but the valve is easy to strip and sort if necessary. The gang have a tech helpline if you need advice. I understand that British Gas may be offering to fit these (if they haven't already started), so if you are thinking about offering fitting as a standalone service, there will be competition. Would I recommend it? YES no question. I have also fitted these instead of usual service valves for washing machine supplies.

 

[Alanka]

I've fitted quite a few Surestops in my area, which has lots of old folk who cannot get down under the sink to shut off the mains when they go on their hols, and like the easy 'switch' action.

They're pretty good bits of kit but they do occasionally cause some problems. One which has been mentioned is grit stopping them working. Ideally you could fit an inline filter to prevent this, but it has happened only once to me, so it's probably not worth it unless there's a special problem (and you can strip them down I see).

Another problem which has come up a couple of times is that they shut off with a bit of a bang (very abruptly) and this has triggered unacceptable oscillations (water hammer) in the pipework. This could be cured in a variety of ways (e.g. fit shock arrestor) but in one case I had to swap the Surestop back to an easily accessible lever valve.

 

[bcp]

Alanka...The Surestop chaps assured me that this was thing of the past. The current crop of valves have addressed this issue and the shutoff is more gentle (no guarantees though).

By the way...the valves do have a built-in strainer. (Nice to see you Alfie at Interbuild today doing a grand dem. job on the Surestop stand and attracting lots of attention).

 

[A1P]

Alanka...The Surestop chaps assured me that this was thing of the past. The current crop of valves have addressed this issue and the shutoff is more gentle (no guarantees though).

By the way...the valves do have a built-in strainer. (Nice to see you Alfie at Interbuild today doing a grand dem. job on the Surestop stand and attracting lots of attention).

Sounds a useful piece of kit especially as they seem to have addressed problems.If they are a way of giving old people peace of mind they are a good idea.