The main 'artery' of any household's plumbing systems is the service pipe, more commonly known as the rising main. This connects the domestic plumbing system to the local water authority's mains which runs under the pavements. The householder's responsibility for the rising main begins at the water authority's stop-cock, usually found in a pit in the footpath outside the house, which can only be turned on or off with one of the authority's special shanked turn-keys. The rising main may be of lead in older buildings but most authorities have now replaced these with copper.
The rising main enters the house through the kitchen floor, generally under the sink. Just above the floor, at the base of the pipe, is the house-holder's stopcock. This is often combined with a drain cock that will allow you to drain the rising main if you need to. Stop cocks have arrows engraved on their bodies, pointing to the line of flow.
