Disconnecting Old Washing Machine

This thread was marked as solved. Here's a summary of the problem and the fix, generated from the discussion below.

Cold isolation tap not fully shutting off when disconnecting old washing machine

The problem

While disconnecting an old washing machine, the cold isolation tap would not fully shut off and water continued to trickle from the pipe. The hot and cold fill hoses under the sink were also too tight to loosen by hand.

Likely cause

The accepted reply says the cold tap is likely faulty and no longer shutting off properly. The hose connections may simply have been fitted too tightly.

What fixed it

The accepted advice was to remove the plastic lever and try turning the cold tap fully closed with pliers. If it still does not shut off, the tap would need replacing. For the tight fill hoses, pipe pliers were recommended to undo them, with pipe pliers or mole grips used to hold the tap steady to prevent it turning.

Checks to try

• Cold tap still allows a trickle of water through when turned off
• Hot and cold hoses under the sink cannot be loosened by hand

Parts or tools mentioned

• pliers
• pipe pliers
• mole grips
• replacement tap