I’m sure that someone out there can help me with my problem!
I’m trying to get water to the garage and want to take the supply from just after the stopcock/water meter at the back of the house . Now, my logic would suggest that the flow of water is Stopcock – meter – house. However both pipes into the valve come from below and the thing is oriented with the stopcock nearest the house and the meter furthest away!
So before I flood the garden and piss off the neighbours and the WaterBoard which side do i fit it the junction?

Do you want free water?

House stopcock is normally after the meter. I’d put your connection after that for simplicity. You may find the meter has a built in stopcock so you could turn it off, tee in before the house stopcock and put a second stopcock for the garage supply if that is more convenient

I think you’re making the understandable but incorrect assumption that these things conform to a standard or even follow some form of basic logic or common sense. Standards may very well exist but that doesn’t mean that the builders and tradespeople adhere to them and will ultimately do whatever they feel like doing to make the job easier for themselves. I’ve just had some work done to my house – a new bathroom. its a mid ’90’s house so should have all bee straight forward, but it was far from it. the way it had been built, where pipes were routed, where electrics were did not follow normal logic or convention or even, in some cases, building regs…clearly built as it was for the convenience for the builders at the time. Also my neighbours were having pretty much the same job carried out at the same time and the construction of their house was completely different to mine despite the houses being of a similar design. For my house the stopcock is before the water meter and not after.

I think ours is stopcock under the pavement, meter close to it, second stopcock where the main comes into the house. You might need to hire a clamp-on flowmeter to see which direction the water flows.

just use some dowsing rods…

Lovely generalised post there against “lazy builders” whilst back in the real world we’re not at all like that. Are you sure there is not a boundary box in the nearest footpath where the service comes off the main?

It’s a 1900’s house, the internal stopcock is pretty much inaccessible so I fitted a Surestop some time ago, the external stop was seized so the water co. Replaced it and fitted the meter in 2017.

As a rule there will be a stop tap prior to the meter, this enables them (board) to change the meter without having to dig for the service and squeeze off. That’s why I asked regarding a boundary box position. Best thing to do is have a dig round the current meter point looking for the service, you’ll need to do that anyway to connect on. As an aside when you do your connection keep everything nice and clean, open up a good size hole to work in, little particles of grit can cause no end of grief once in your system such as stopping toilet cistern valves from seating properly etc.

Thanks all, wrightyson as always was spot on.