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One of the most usual locations a water pipe will be situated in residence is in your boiler room, cellar, or a cut out panel in an area for your residence.
As soon as you discover the water pipe you will merely transform the shutoff clockwise to shut all the water off in your house up until you have finished the repair service. Some residences will have a ball shutoff with a lever that you can draw instead of look to shut the water off.
If you try to shut the water off to your components by utilizing an angle quit which doesn't function you will have to close of the water pipe to make your repair service. There are also many various other factors you could require to close the water main like repairing icy pipes, fixing leaks, changing components or taps.
Many individuals are not mindful that they also have a water pipe shutoff right in their own house and simply call a plumber of never end up doing the repair service up until points get actually bad because they simply do not know that shutting the water main is really very easy.
HOW TO LOCATE & TURN OFF MAIN WATER SHUT-OFF VALVES
During plumbing emergencies, such as a burst pipe or another plumbing catastrophe, it is important to know where your main water shut-off valves are located and how to shut them off. When you have a sewage backup or an overflowing appliance, you don’t want to look like a chicken with its head cut off looking for how to turn off your water supply.
A little knowledge about where your plumbing valves are located and how to shut them off will go a long way – you may find yourself sprinting there someday. In addition to isolation shut-off valves, which are connected to specific areas of your home, there is also a main water shut-off valve which shuts off water to the entire plumbing system. It’s good to know where both your main water valve and all the individual isolation valves are located. Let’s start with the isolation valves.
Where Are My Isolation Valves?
Isolation valves, also known as service valves, are normally located near the fixture that it is connected to, whether it be a toilet or a washing machine. There are separate water valves for each of your different plumbing fixtures, allowing you to work on a small section of your plumbing system without having to adjust the main water shut-off valve that controls your entire system. Isolation valves are designed to help you deactivate a specific section of your system without impacting other water-using fixtures or appliances in your living space.
Next time you use your toilet, washing machine, or sink, look for the isolation valve, connected to the pipes entering your fixture. For your washer machine and sinks, there will be separate hot and cold water supply lines with separate shut-off valves, while your toilet only has one cold water shut-off valve. If you have an overflow problem with one of your fixtures, simply shut off the isolation valve to contain the situation.
How Do I Turn Off Isolation Valves?
There are several different types of isolation valves, but they all are pretty simple to turn on and off. If you are finding it difficult to turn the valve, try putting on work gloves or use a wrench if necessary, but never force a valve open or closed. It’s a good idea to turn your isolation and main water valves on and off every once in a while so they remain easy to turn.
Gate Valve:
A gate valve closes off the water supply by lowering a brass gate into a slot. They should always be completely on, or completely off. To turn off a gate valve, simply remember the old adage, “Righty tighty, lefty loosey.”
Ball Valve:
A ball valve is a little different. A ball valve uses a ball with a hole in it to pivot into the right position. To turn a ball valve off, turn the lever so that it is perpendicular to the pipe. To turn it on, make sure the lever is parallel to the pipe.
Compression Valve:
Compression valves, also known as stop valves, use a rubber gasket that gets screwed into the middle portion of the valve, stopping the water flow. As with the gate valve, turn the handle right to close off the water supply and loosen it to the left to open it up. Since the water path isn’t the most efficient, these types of valves will only be used as isolation valves for sinks, toilets, etc.
If you have an under-the-sink or under toilet leak, read this guide for replacing a shut-off valve. You want to make sure you are buying the correct replacement valve since compression valves have different fittings. It may be best to speak with a professional plumber though, as you could benefit from switching to a modern quarter-turn ball valve design. Read about the difference between compression and quarter-turn shut-off valves here.
Main Water Shut-Off Valve
Knowing where your isolation valves are located is great for shutting off water to just one area of the home. But what if you need to shut off the entire water supply entering your home? We highly recommend that every member of the household knows where the main water shut-off valve is located and how to turn it off in the case of an emergency.
Where is My Main Water Shut-Off Valve?
Every house has at least one main water shut-off valve. Look for where the plumbing enters the home to find yours. There are a couple of main spots to check inside first before heading outside to look. You can save yourself some time by checking your property inspection report if you know where that is.
If you have a basement and crawl space, the main water shut-off is probably located in the basement, near the front wall of your home (closest to the street). It should be very close to your water meter, where you can detect the amount of water your home uses and if you have a plumbing leak somewhere in the system, although some homes don’t have a meter.
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Immediate plumbing assistance for emergencies.
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