New house can't find the water shut off

If you cannot find the shut off just buy the special tool.

btw I just use two 12" adjustable wrenches not special tool required

Bob

If you cannot find the shut off just buy the special tool.

btw I just use two 12" adjustable wrenches, no special tool required

Bob

The tool, often made of re-bar with a slot-head, needed to shut off the water at the meter is cheap and readily available at hardware stores. An ordinary adjustable wrench will also work, just turn it 90 degrees to the pipe direction, to turn it off. There may also be a shut off valve where the service pipe enters the house.. if you can find that. The valve should be just outside the wall of the house.

Thanks.. yes I figured that but in the case of an emergency I would like a away to shut the water off without searching for a wrench.

Thank you, I will try to determine where that is then.

Ok thanks.. I'll look again when it gets light.

It may be near and resemble the faucet to which you connect a garden hose. That's where I finally found mine. Paul in San Francisco

If you haven't found the shutoff, have you found the pipe? You don't say what you *have* found. The shutoff is between the water heater and the outside of the house. Mine is behind the warddrobe I put in the basement, and 3 or 4 feet below the ceiling.

Meirman

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If your house is like mine, the cutoff at the meter is the only cutoff that you have and that special tool is something you definitely want. They are not expensive and can be found at HomeDept or Lowes. You'll be glad you bought one the first time you need it. Also, it would be a lot cheaper than paying a plumber to put in a cutoff near the house.

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote:

In my area, it's not the valve that needs a special tool (well maybe that too.) but I need a special tool to open the lid on the water meter. In the sidewalk that parallels the road. The bolt head has 5 sides. I've never seen one for sale, afaicr.

They decided long ago not to read the meters in our n'hood, because we would have to pay for it, and so they only read the meter that feeds all 109 homes, and we divide the cost evenly.

Meirman

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It's right over there, you dumb SOB!!!

The shutoff valve is right where the water line enters the house.

It's possible that samfred is right, and that there's no water shutoff inside the house. There was none in our 1888 house when we bought it

Your local building department might have construction drawings for the original building permit, which might show where the shutoff is. We live in a condo, and three shutoffs are under pavers in the atrium. The fourth is under the philodendron next to the walk by the front door. Easy to find and dig up when the washer hose bursts and the house is flooding :o)

If it is very cheap, that may be OK, but I'd rather not pay for the slobs up the street with 10 kids, eleven cars to wash and the lawn sprinklers going

Newsgroups: alt.home.repair From: "Kathy" - Find messages by this author Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2005 16:37:47 -0500 Local: Sun, Feb 27 2005 1:37 pm

Wish I knew a plumber who would come out and do a little work for a hundred bucks.

I can't find where the water service comes into the house and I'm WAY too claustraphobic to do more than just poke my head into the crawlspace. All I see in the crawlspace are plastic drain pipes. I think I'll just buy the tool at home depot and turn the water off at the meter if I have an emergency and while I do plumbing repairs. The meter is less than 40 feet from the front door.

You may be overestimating what it will cost to get the valve installed. Unless your pipes are in an unusual configuration where they enter your house, or are particularly inaccessible, you are looking at less than one hour's labor for a plumber plus any trip fees, plus the cost of the valve. That should be well under $100 in most places. For something as important as a main water shut-off valve, it is more than worth the price.

By the way, I commend you for even looking for the valve. Too many people buy houses and don't bother to find the important utilities until a problem occurs. Don't forget your smoke detectors and fire extinguishers...

C.

PS: If you have a neighbor who is experienced with such things (this is not a high-skill task), you might get off with the price of a pizza and the valve.

If you actually have no shut off, other than the one that takes a special tool, it is easy enough to put one in.

I am no plumber, but have put in two, and can do it in under an hour; assuming the other shut-off is tight.

If you do that, check your water pressure first and see if you also need a pressure regular installed (or replaced).