why don't plumbers fit isolation valves?!

[MP plumb]

WHN1... that was a rubbish drawing... but i compremde concidering i cheated this time!

all this trouble coz of un-maintained heating, cold and hot systems. every one is talkin about way of around problems but if customers understood that they need to wiggle their valves occassionally and if plumbers remembered to put valves in places, none of this would be a problem! i dam the ones the dont fit valves in the first place!

 

[MP plumb]

Whn1,... so ur from saaaaath Laaandon?

 

[tamz]

well tamz, i dont drink tea, or coffee... or any hot drink to that matter

Well Claire, you should. It (tea) is good for you :wink: :lol:

Fitting iso's, ballvalves, stopcocks or whatever or whether they are fitted doesn't bother me in the least. There will be a positive shut off somewhere.
If there was anywhere valves really should be fitted for a time saver it is on heating systems. Valve after all motorised valves and on cylinder returns but even that doesn't bother me too much. More of an inconvenience like no iso before a tap for you, drop the pressure or bung it and swap.....job done.
Btw. You can change tap washers no problem and no mess without switching the water off.

Another btw.
If you can't get a trv to shut off with the head and don't want to try what Mark said, just remove the head, press the pin in and tape a 2p in place around the valve to hold it down.

 

[tamz]

WHN1... that was a rubbish drawing... but i compremde concidering i cheated this time!

all this trouble coz of un-maintained heating, cold and hot systems. every one is talkin about way of around problems but if customers understood that they need to wiggle their valves occassionally and if plumbers remembered to put valves in places, none of this would be a problem! i dam the ones the dont fit valves in the first place!

Unmaintained heating, water systems keeps us in a job. I love them :smile:

 

[Best]

Not much point in putting iso valves on everything when all you need is quality valves on the hot & cold supplies. Good to have them on all ballvalves, hot supply downstairs in a house (lever valve), pipes to pumps or showers (lever valves), & pumped pipes to cylinder coils (gate valves ok). Not really needed on every basin & silly on a bath, IMO. Those cheap iso valves will give trouble & will leak if fitted on hot pipes. Full flow lever best job, but the full flow ball fix type valves with the white seals inside them are probably trouble free also.

 

[kay-jay]

moony- how can u drain a rad without opening a valve and all the sludgy black water all over carpets? u can NEVER save it all as it goes everywhere! plus, some old TRV's, dont sut down completly....so u end up with a constand water flow... unless ur handy enough to have the right temp head for the original TRV so u can shut it complely.

i think.... choose the smallest downstairs rad, put a dust sheet down, close valves, undow both sides at same time,lift with thumb over the end and drain in a suitable position )

if you do it this way, open bleed vent after closing valves, catch drips and wait for it to stop, this confirms that both valves are shut and theres not some piece of muck stuck to the seating on a valve keeping the water flowing from the system through the valves while your busy turning a rad upside down