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Turn off water to change shower

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  • 03-06-2020 11:10am
    #1
    Mickiemcfist
    Registered Users Posts: 1,585 ✭✭✭


    Hi, I'm changing out a gravity fed mixer shower (like for like) however there's no valve to shut off the water to it directly. If I was to shut off the water at the mains & run the hot & cold taps til they're empty, would this cause any issues? Airlocks/god knows what else?

    Thanks


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    #2
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,353 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    Mickiemcfist wrote: »
    If I was to shut off the water at the mains & run the hot & cold taps til they're empty, would this cause any issues?

    To be avoided if possible. It will disturb any dirt at the bottom of the tank in the attic. I needed a new immersion tank a couple of years ago which required that my entire system be drained and the sh1te that came out was not a pretty sight.

    Look in the hot press, are there two vertical pipes on the back wall with a tap on each? They are the hot and cold feeds to your taps, bath and shower. Every tap and toilet cistern in the house except the cold tap in the kitchen should be fed from those pipes. Turn off both of them, then drain the system below those taps by turning on hot and cold taps downstairs - excluding the kitchen cold tap. It will then be safe to disconnect the shower.


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    #3
    Mickiemcfist
    Registered Users Posts: 1,585 ✭✭✭Mickiemcfist


    coylemj wrote: »
    To be avoided if possible. It will disturb any dirt at the bottom of the tank in the attic. I needed a new immersion tank a couple of years ago which required that my entire system be drained and the sh1te that came out was not a pretty sight.

    Look in the hot press, are there two vertical pipes on the back wall with a tap on each? They are the hot and cold feeds to your taps, bath and shower. Every tap and toilet cistern in the house except the cold tap in the kitchen should be fed from those pipes. Turn off both of them, then drain the system below those taps by turning on hot and cold taps downstairs - excluding the kitchen cold tap. It will then be safe to disconnect the shower.

    Thanks a lot for that I'll give that a try


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    #4
    Doolittle51
    Registered Users Posts: 373 ✭✭Doolittle51


    I find it best to leave all taps open when you're restoring the supply, except any mains fed taps. There'll be a lot of spluttering, but it will settle down after a minute. You're less likely to get airlocks that way.


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    #5
    Mickiemcfist
    Registered Users Posts: 1,585 ✭✭✭Mickiemcfist


    OK so I tried that, those two pipes in the hot press turn off the hot & cold water to everything in the house, except the cold kitchen tap & the cold feed in the en suite shower which is unfortunately the one I need to change.

    Handy tip all the same as I've changed a toilet & 2 sinks.

    Would anyone have any other suggestions for the shower? I turned off the mains at the gate & it shut off everything except the cold shower feed so I'm guessing its coming direct from the tank in the attic but not via the hot press?


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    #6
    Idioteque
    Registered Users Posts: 622 ✭✭✭Idioteque


    Have you checked up at the water tank for a direct feed for the shower (that's how mine is set up)? On mine there's a valve on that line for the shower. Mines electric though so only one feed to cut off and I'm guessing it needs direct line as it needs a certain uninterrupted volume of water vs being on a shared line


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    #7
    Mickiemcfist
    Registered Users Posts: 1,585 ✭✭✭Mickiemcfist


    Idioteque wrote: »
    Have you checked up at the water tank for a direct feed for the shower (that's how mine is set up)? On mine there's a valve on that line for the shower. Mines electric though so only one feed to cut off and I'm guessing it needs direct line as it needs a certain uninterrupted volume of water vs being on a shared line

    Yea there's 3 outlets from the tank, but there's no valve that I can see, however one of the pipes goes under the floor of the attic room so if there's a valve it's probably under that.

    Would turning off the mains & draining the attic tank via the shower that's going to be removed be a very bad idea?

    I say via the shower as if crap gets through the pipes I don't mind if the shower head gets wrecked, but obviously don't want the pipework being wrecked.

    Otherwise it's spend a fortune on a plumber time I'd say :mad:


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    #8
    Cordell
    Registered Users Posts: 5,837 ✭✭✭Cordell


    I'd say drain it through a downstairs hot water tap, this is what I did, in case any muck gets flowing it will flow through pipes that don't feed the shower. I had to do it this way to replace some taps because my shutoff valves are seized, and there was no dirt coming out.


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