Free · Lesson 1

How water moves around a house

Follow the water from the street to every tap, then back out to the drain.

14 min3 parts4 questions

1
Part 1
From the street to your stop tap
Water comes from the water company's main under the road. It passes a meter and the outside stop tap, then enters the house through the internal stop tap. That's usually under the kitchen sink, in a downstairs toilet or by the front door. Finding it is always the first thing you do on any job.
2
Part 2
Cold mains and hot water
Cold mains water feeds the kitchen tap directly, so it's safe to drink. In most modern UK homes, a combi boiler heats water on demand. Older homes have a hot water cylinder, often with a cold water tank in the loft. Hot pipes run warm; cold pipes stay cold and can sweat in summer.
3
Part 3
Waste: where it all goes
Each sink, bath and toilet drains through a trap. The trap holds water to block sewer smells. It then flows into waste pipes, a soil stack and finally the drain. Waste relies on gravity, so pipes need a steady fall.

Try it at home

Simple things to find and check in your own house. Tick them off and write what you found.

Stay safe

Look and find only, unless the task says otherwise.
Never touch the boiler, gas pipes, gas meter or electrics.
Stop straight away if a valve is stiff, rusty, leaking or won't turn by hand. Don't force it or use tools on it.
Stop if you see water near electrics, smell gas or see a damp ceiling. Turn the water off at the stopcock if it's safe, then ask a teacher.
If you rent, ask your landlord before turning anything.

0 of 3 done

0 of 4 answered

1What is the first thing you find before most plumbing jobs?

2Which tap is normally fed straight from the cold mains?

3What does a trap do?

4A combi boiler…

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