Don't make the mistake of not servicing your stopcocks
Every winter houses are flooded or frozen due to poorly serviced stopcocks. Houses can suffer significant damage. Tobin Jones are called out most winters to deal with floods, and the one thing they usually have in common is a broken stopcock.
So how do you service a stopcock? It's simple. Check that the valve works by isolating the incoming supply, tighten up the glands to ensure that there is no leakage and lubricate the mechanism with a silicone grease (this is important, as different greases may attack the rubber). Once this has been done, cycle the mechanism several times, ensuring that the threads are both moving and well lubricated. When a stopcock is defective, it needs to be isolated in the street and replaced.
So how do you service a stopcock? It's simple. Check that the valve works by isolating the incoming supply, tighten up the glands to ensure that there is no leakage and lubricate the mechanism with a silicone grease (this is important, as different greases may attack the rubber). Once this has been done, cycle the mechanism several times, ensuring that the threads are both moving and well lubricated. When a stopcock is defective, it needs to be isolated in the street and replaced.