Taken carpet up and found some taps

[essex_lee]

Under the boards I was planning on tiling over I have found 2 taps.

1 goes to the radiator in the hall, red tap. What is the point of this tap?

And the other is the main stop cock which is seized up, BUT please read on....

From outside the property I have the main water coming in which goes to this seized up tap, after that there is a T, one side goes to a tap in the garage for a hose etc, and the other side goes to another stop cock in the kitchen in a cupboard. And this is what I use to shut the water off in the house.


What should I do ?

Thanks

[Alan.P]

Re the plumbing side, not sure. As for the tiling side, what boards are you planning on tiling over, what tiles and what prep work are you planning on ?

[essex_lee]

10mm ply over tongue and groove boards. Porcelain tiles

Just found another stop cock in the street that shuts everything off, so I'm not bothered about the one under the boards now..


Any clues with the one that goes to he rad?

Ta

[Bathfix Bob]

Sounds like a drain off but they are not usually red?

[essex_lee]

It's inline with the pipe, with a red round handle

[Bathfix Bob]

It a gate valve, someone has added it to allow the rad to be isolated or during draindown they've added gate to install radiator at a later date.

If you are going to tile over it make sure its not leaking and is fully open.

[northstar]

i would get rid of valve just incase it leaks later on, any pics ?

[Bathfix Bob]

In an ideal world definatly take it out, but its amazing how many central heating pumps are under the bathroom floor and tiled over.

If tilers tile over those then a gate valve is nothing.

[Thespanishtiler]

a gate valve is sometimes added to a early take off from the ch flow and throttled down to prevent a flow loop back to the pump/boiler.

for this reason don't mess with it if its not leaking.

[whitebeam]

Fully open the gate valve then do a quarter turn clockwise, if at a later date it needs to be turned off for some reason it allows movement to loosen by turning both ways...

[kilty55]

as above sounds like a gate valve

[timeless john]

We must be friendlier than the plumbers forum!