how do i turn off water

[nathan222]

my mains water supply will not turn off. the taps in the loft will not turn/ have tried using spanner but will not budge. scared in case i snap something. any suggestions?

[ianmunt]

carefully try opening it a little further,then see if it will close.Hopefully you also have a street stopcock.If all else fails locate that and turn off there.A plumber might well apply controlled heat to the valve,but that might be risky for you to do.

[stewey]

You could try spraying it with WD-40, or something similar, and leave it for a few hours before trying it again. DON'T force anything!

[rosyrussell]

I am not sure that the stop ***** in the loft will be for the mains supply - the mains stop **** is usually in the kitchen under the sink in my (limited) experience, as the kitchen tap is often the only one to have mains pressure, the other bathroom taps are fed from a tank.

[VICTIMS]

it is safer to turn the water off in the street. so long as you have a grid outside that supplys just your house it is easy, in older properties it may supply several houses, so let your neighbours know before you do it.
when the water is off, if you do need to force the stop tap under the sink, you'll not have any problems. while the water is off, get a new tap. then if you need to use it in an emergency, at least it should work easier.