Your Home’s Main Water Shut Off
Without a doubt, the most important part of every home’s plumbing system. It is often also the most neglected, hidden behind piles of stuff, forgotten about until it's too late, “where is my what?” component of every home. In the event of a dreadful flooding incident caused by the failure of a part of your plumbing system, the main water shut off should be your trusted best friend. Ready to quickly help contain the emergency and give you a chance to calmly assess the situation,.. to figure out what to do next. So let's talk about your home’s main water shut off.
Every homeowner should take the time to find the answers to these three questions:
Where is my main water shut-off?
Although the exact location of a main shut off varies from home to home, observance of plumbing codes and common sense system design does present some general rules of thumb. The best place to start looking is in your home's basement utility / mechanical / furnace room. Sometimes it is quite obvious - a pipe sticking out from the floor saddled with a brass water meter, clearly visible in your furnace room. You will find a lever or wheel style valve, installed just ahead of the meter. If you don't see it in the room right away try tracing your cold water pipe from the inlet of your water heater - back to the water meter. Generally, although not always, your water heater will be the first connection to the home’s water supply. Keep in mind that there are times when the location is cleverly disguised for aesthetic purposes. In those cases it may be wise to call a plumber to help with locating the meter and valve, before an emergency situation arises.
Can I get to my main water shut off in an emergency?
OK, now that we know where to shut the water down in a pinch, it's important to make sure the area is accessible when you need to get to it. The sooner you can stop a flood, the less damage and stress there will be for you to deal with. In a utility room, it is very tempting to fill that open space in front of your water meter with all kinds of stuff. In a finished room or a hallway, a large piece of furniture hides that unsightly access door in your wall oh so nicely... In the end, it's really not worth the headache of rearranging furniture, shifting around bags of snowmelt, or disassembling the content of that cool shelving unit, while your home is flooding and you need to shut the water off quickly.
Does my main water shut off actually work?
So we know where it is, and we can get to it without having to rearrange the house. Now what? Well, all these important things we’ve gone over are not all that useful if you get to the valve, ready to stop a disaster in its tracks, only to find that your main shut off is seized and you can't budge it. It is definitely wise to carefully try to shut your water off outside of an emergency, making sure your valve actually works. Being careful when you do is of utmost importance here. If anything breaks or starts leaking at the water meter, it may be a long wait for the city water crew to show up and shut the water down from the street. If the valve handle doesn't cooperate and feels like it may need a tool to crank it closed, let a professional plumber have a go at it. He will be able to either free up the valve handle and check whether the valve holds, or replace it with a new one.
We would like to reiterate that if at any time you feel out of your comfort zone when assessing, testing, or attempting anything around your home’s plumbing system, you should seek the help of a licenced plumber. A professional plumber will easily (and safely) assist you in answering the questions posed here, making sure you are ready to stop a flood in its tracks and limit the damage to your home when you’re around. In a future blog post, we will explore devices designed to monitor and automatically shut off your home’s water supply - whether you’re home or not.
Please do keep in mind that the information and comments herein are for the general information of the reader and are not intended as advice or opinion to be relied upon in relation to any particular circumstances.