Ballcock in attic tank

fiona-f

Hello

Grateful for your advice on whether this is something I could do myself or not!

The ballcock in the attic water tank is sticking. Basically, it doesn't refloat fully so water continues feeding and spilling out the overflow pipe. Annoying to say the least! I'm guessing that either the little arm or the whole contraption needs to be replaced. As a totally non-DIY person, is this feasible or should I be calling a plumber? I found an old thread here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=57320433 mentioning some of the steps but I'm not sure from reading it whether it's so simple that I could definitely do it myself or not.

I'm guessing step one is get to a hardware store and ask them for replacement parts - what should I be asking for? Are they all a standard size or do I need to measure the one that's up there? Will turning off the mains stopcock in the kitchen sink be enough before I begin tinkering with it, or are there other precautions I should take too? Many thanks!

Buford T Justice

Turning off the stopcock under the sink will do the job.

Word to the wise though, when you turn off the water, turn on the cold tap in the sink, and the water in the pipe going up to the ballcock in the attic should drain down.

Go to a plumbers merchants and tell them you are looking for a ballcock for the attic, and they'll see you right.

martin46585

after turing off the supply, undo the end cap, then you wil see the plunger, it is the washer at the back of this that is worn, and is allowing the water to continue to flow, then take out the split pin and release the float arm, at this stage the plunger is also free, you can then replace the washer, which is a friction fit, it just pushs in, now do everything in reverse, your washer will cost around 70/90 cent, and a complete valve around 7 euros give or take, it looks and sound harder than it really is, or maybe its the way i tell them.........

fiona-f

Thanks all, that doesn't seem too daunting. Thanks for saving me the cost of a plumber!

Joey the lips

I would not attempt this job unless i done plumbing work before. As its the mains that flows to the attic it could cause a lot of damage if you get it wrong and you may not be insured when explaining this.

Paul.C

oil it or replace it. Question- is the ball filled with water? this sometimes happens over time and the ball can be unscrewed from the arm, emptied and siliconed where cracked. Or ball only can be replaced.

If you do decide to do it yourself then the arm on the ballcock can be bent to the desired level

DanWall

Just a smal point, not all stop cocks are under the sink. To turn off my house the stop cock is in the garden down a hole.

Paul.C

thats the outside 1. There will be one on your rising main too:)

DublinDilbert

Should be fairly easy to sort, but if you have a friend who's done a bit of diy/plumbing would be good to get them to watch over you as you learn.

You could also buy a replacement unit and take it appart to see how it works, very easy to do at the kitchen table. Anyone who has a house will have an issue with a ball cock at some stage, best to know how to sort it...

DanWall

Paul.C Just to clarify, in my house there is no rising main stopcock. There are 2 outside, one on the footpath for the council, and one a few feet futher on inside the garden