Shutoff Valves

2/23/2018 (Permalink)

Frequently when a home or business owner needs to shut the water off to an appliance or at the “main”, there are questions where to look for the valves and how they operate.   The need to shut of the water may become urgent when a pipe breaks inside the building or even in the main line from the street to the property.

The cause of a broken pipe can be from aging plumbing and fixtures, construction mishaps, and ground and buildings shifting from earthquakes common to Southern California.  Certainly, the time to become familiar with the valve locations and function is not when there is an emergency.

The pictures below illustrate the water valves and locations common to sinks, water heaters, toilets and at the “main” source from the city service.   In each case, there is a valve to isolate the leaking plumbing.

The Meter: The Meter is located next to the street at the curb area. This is where the water branches off from the City and comes to your property. There is a shut-off located underneath the meter box lid. Shutting the water off here, will turn the water off to the entire house exterior and interior, including pools and irrigation.

Main Service: From the “meter box” a water line is ran up to the front of the house to a hose bib (water spigot). Usually where the hose is located (newer homes in garage). This shut-off valve turns the water off to the inside of the home, excluding irrigation.

The Water Heater: From the “main service” the plumbing lines then provide water to the water heater. The water heater shut-off valve is located at the top of the water heater next to the water flex lines. 

Angle Stops: From the “water heater” hot and cold water lines split off to provide water to plumbing fixtures including those in the bathrooms, kitchen, laundry, etc. You may have heard of an angle stop before. A shiny oval piece behind the toilet or underneath the sink. Behind the toilet is 1 angle stop and underneath a sink there are 2.

It is important as home and business owners to know how to turn off your water supply in the case of an emergency. If water damage still occurs, SERVPRO of Burbank provides water remediation services for commercial and residential properties.