What do i do if i spring a leak on hot or cold water pipe work?
If hot or cold water starts flooding out of any pipework, then turn off your stopcock immediately (clockwise). The stopcock won’t instantly stop the leak is fed by a cold-water tank in the loft or from a hot water cylinder in your airing cupboard. However, look out for other stopcocks or valves near the bottom of the tank or the top of the cylinder and try to turn them off. (Remember which ones you turn off so you can turn them on again later). As well as standard stopcocks, other common valves are the gate valve, ballafix and lever valve. Ballafixes are turned off using a screwdriver to rotate the screw on the front 90º so that the screw is across the pipe. Lever valves are turned off by twisting the lever 90º so that the lever is across to the pipe. Toilets and basins often have their own valve nearby so you won’t have to turn off the water to the whole building. If the ceiling starts to bulge then put a hole in it with a broom handle to prevent the weight of the water bringing it do
