help! no water

[civilservant]

It's snowing prettily outside but inside is a scene of squalor and dirty dishes because our taps have run dry!

We can't check with our next-door neighbours because they're all out for the weekend, but neighbours three doors down and across the road have got water. Thames Water say not their problem, but keep them posted!

Has anyone else had this problem?

[Penguin68]

It would be helpful to indicate broadly where you are - if there are people close and they don't have a problem they could help you narrow it down - at the moment loads of people (such as me) could say that we don't have a problem, but that doesn't help you.

[DJKillaQueen]

It's possible you have a frozen mains pipe if your neighbours are not affected.

[louisiana]

Always worth keeping some water in a large container, for such an eventuality (if you, like me, don't have any water tanks). We like to think that utility services are always there, but sometimes they aren't (I speak as someone who has had a number of power cuts for many hours in recent times - I now have boxes of candles, torches etc etc. - and the water disappearing too often as well.)

Grab some off your neighbours now, and plan to have some stored for the next time this happens.

[JessKat]

Hello - we're on Goose Green and haven't got water.

Mmm, lovely greasy hair, crockery piling up in the sink....

[cn150]

Have you checked that the water supply is turned on? Also it was so cold last night that the supply pipe could be frozen. I would call Thames Water - they're normally quite hepful.

[civilservant]

thanks for the helpful suggestions - yes we think that its our supply pipe that's frozen

Thames Water's suggestion was to turn the stopcock on and off a few times, because the valves might be screwed:-S

But it's very stiff - and anyway needs a special tool?

And ours is in the pavement outside and it's rapidly disappearing under the promised six inches of snow

So, dear JessKat, that's us too resigned to lovely greasy hair and dirty dishes for the mo (let's not discuss toilets)

[DJKillaQueen]

This cold snap is set to stick around and the danger of frozen pipes is that they burst.

[civilservant]

indeed, DJKQ!

but being a sissy civilservant, I need a specialist to help

and all the plumbers we know are out in Kent or Kennington and won't come out to lovely East Dulwich in weather like this

do you know of one we could call before it really becomes Thames Water's problem?

we would love to be washing and flushing again!

[JessKat]

CivilServant,

I have just come back from a nightmare voyage to Co-op to buy in some water bottles. On way back, thought I'd fiddle with the tap outside, and when I got in, (laden with bottles), the water was back on! Don't know if it was the latent plumber in me, or just coincidence.

This happened last year with our Dickensian pipes. The solution from the plumber was to get an extension cord and hairdryer the pipes, both external and internal - and it worked!

Needless to say, first thing I did was flush the loo...

[computedshorty]

If your main stopcock is out in the pavement and you have no key

get a peice of wood about three inches wide ( seven Milimetres, and about three feet ( I Metre ) long,

and Saw cut a VEE in the end, three inches ( seven milimetres )deep by four Milimetres wide, this willl act as a temporary key, turn clockwise to turn off water.

[Dickensman]

Or buy a stop cock key!

[beaver14uk]

Indeed - I think the first thing I would do its call Thames Water rather than post on the internet. Some people.

[SeanMacGabhann]

I thought the OP had contacted TW?

[ClareC]

beaver14uk Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Indeed - I think the first thing I would do its

> call Thames Water rather than post on the

> internet. Some people.

OP says in first post that Thames Water say it's not their problem! Some people! ;-)

[civilservant]

Thanks to you lovely ED people for your support and good ideas (but beaver14uk - consider yourself excluded. Some people!)

The house is finally losing its resemblance to a Horrible Histories set (pre-plumbing and sanitation era), thanks to the lovely Gary from Actual Gas Services, who turned up as promised and fixed the problem.

The problem was a frozen stopcock out on the pavement - so actually Thames Water's business.

It was all cemented up from the pavement work over the summer, and too close to the surface, which was presumably why it froze up so fast. A kettle of hot water might just be the answer if it ever happens again, or JessKat's hairdryer...:))

[beaver14uk]

So as I said it was Thames Water.

[GrahamP]

Stop cock pit filled with cement - please excuse thread drift

I have dealt with two houses with this problem following paving works. It took a good 20 minutes to chip away cement to get to the stopcock. If you have had your pavement done it may be worth checking. In an emergency it would be too late.

If you are lucky it may just be filled with sand.

Graham

[Bobbaz]

I just walked near the top of Goose Green and there's a burst pipe leaking lots of water into the road at the top of Keston Rd, not sure if it might be that causing the problem?

[HAL9000]

When temperatures drop below freezing, leave a cold tap trickling over night - it helps prevent the water from freezing.

[bdsolar]

if you have no power,then i could help you to build a solar power system

[bdsolar]

how to take use of solar for lighting etc,you could see www.china-led-street-light.com

[Amelie]

@ CivilServant

Do you know who carried out the works on the pavement? If so you should send Gary's invoice to the relevant CEO.

[ajlennon1980]

Try dulwichandyman, he's good