Replacing mains stopcock, rough price please?

We’ve had plumbers in this week, replacing old leaky radiator valves with TRV’s. Few issues with old joins at elbows etc which they have fixed.

They quoted for replacing a kitchen tap (which we supplied) but when they went to do this the main stopcock didn’t work.

Quote for replacing the stopcock seems a bit pricy and I am wondering if they are hoping to recover cost/time/hassle from the radiator work.

I know the mains will need to be turned off at the street with the Toby key.

Anyone give me an indication for cost (supply and fit), Glasgow if it helps/changes things.

We are happy to pay a bit over as the work to date will be useful in the long run, service good etc.

What have you been quoted?

They’re no more than a tenner to buy so I can’t see it costing more than 50 quid parts and labour for the stopcock element surely? I’m no plumber though by any stretch.

It shouldn’t be hard to replace a stop cock, but on the other hand it could turn into an absolute ball ache.
So a bit of safety pricing shouldn’t be surprising, but I’d be hoping to see it done in an hour. That means £100 in my book.

What they said, as long as you can actually turn it off in the street, then that’s an hour even at my DIY pace.

Might quote a bit more if it’s just that left to do and they’ve got to come out to do it especially?

Jobs to be done still-

Fit kitchen tap (flexis came with tap, plumber pipping inline valves in)

Checking and repressurising expansion vessel if required

Supply and fit stopcock.

£320.. there is an individual price against each job but yes gut is saying its on the high side..

Freeze pipe.

Swap tap.

N’est-ce pas?

freezing incoming mains is fraught with difficulty. Much easier to turn off in the street. Mains taps can be a pain to swap.

If you can get them to do mine for that I’d be well chuffed, they’ll practically have to dismantle the kitchen to get at it. It’s the stopcock equivalent of that headlight bulb subthread in ‘Who thought it was a good idea to….’

My bike riding plumber mate who did all my boiler and other small stuff said if the one outside in the road works, he’d live with that instead of the utter ballache of replacing my stopcock. He practically offered to pay me to not do do it, so we didn’t

If you have a plastic mains supply pipe you can clamp it shut while you work on the new internal stopcock. Just use a wide clamp. You can put a couple of 50mm x 15mm bits of wood either side of the pipe and squash with a G-cramp.

had to use this when we moved in and needed a leaky stopcock replacing and the one in the street was seized.

£320 sounds like a good day’s work.

Freeze pipe.

Swap tap.

N’est-ce pas

I guess you have never done it.

Anyway if it’s under the kitchen units as lots are … Utter ball ache of a job

Why not get more quotes in to compare ?

Plastic or lead pipe ?

If you can get them to do mine for that I’d be well chuffed, they’ll practically have to dismantle the kitchen to get at it.

+1 ours is behind a chest height fitted cooker. Before we had a new kitchen it was merely behind a cupboard and after I turned it to stop a burst pipe it leaked. It’s on a vertical pipe part buried in the corner of the wall, a plumber charged £80 plus £30 call out to replace it.

We’ve 4 others inconveniently placed in the house which I’m scared to touch, so if I have to I use the one in the street which was replaced by Thames water when a meter was installed, to a modern and large quarter turn plastic handle.

I am trying to get another quote but at the same time I don’t want to stall plumber A forever.

As with all these jobs I am always picky on quality of work and there have been a few niggles with the radiator work done- however from plenty of DIY myself I know that jobs rarely go to plan/are as simple as first expected!