Wonder if any of you lovely souls could give me any pointers with an issue I've got..

The hot water tap in the bathroom has started leaking, fine, we've had the place over ten years and they've never been changed. I've been and bought some replacements but the problem arises when I come to isolate the tap, the pipework is solid pipe all the way back to the boiler, amazingly there isn't a single in-line isolation valve on the whole network of hot water pipes. Even at the boiler itself the hot water outlet doesn't have a shut off valve http://www.smallheathalliance.com/i/icons/smiley-sad.png

There is however an isolation valve on the incoming cold water supply to the boiler, would it harm the boiler and or affect the central heating system if I were to shut off the incoming water to the boiler and run the hot water dry? I'm relatively engineering minded but the intricacies of a central heating system is something I've never had to concern myself with.

Cheers for anything you may be able to suggest

Hi TreBirmingham

It sounds like you may have an older style tankless coil off the boiler system. Even if you don't, I would suggest that you steer clear of touching anything at the boiler and simply shut off the MAIN water shutoff to the entire house (shut POWER off to boiler while working on system). Once the main cold water shutoff to the house is shut you'll drain the water from the pipes (open faucets) and then purchase a couple of 1/2" copper SHARKBITE type push on shutoff valves with 3/8" compression fittings and install those under the sink you want to change the tap out of. Turn the water back on to test the shutoffs for w after tightness, bleed air from the hot and cold water at all taps/valves until water runs clear and then turn the boiler power back on (in that order). Proceed to install the new tap and connect to the new shutoff valves.

If you don't have 1/2" copper tubing you'll need to know the pipe size and material for us to tell you another option, OK?

Back to you...

Mark