Plumbing

Hopefully this section will help you locate the shutoff valves found in your home. All adults and older children should know where they are. Most plumbing system shutoff valves are like faucets; you turn the handle to the right to close and left to open. If you have a newer ball valve you will have a handle that moves 90 °. If the handle is parallel to the pipe the water is flowing, if the handle is perpendicular the water is blocked.

 

1) The main water shutoff valve shuts the water off to the entire house. A house has one or two main shutoff valves. In older homes you can usually locate the valve in the front yard or in the street in front of the house. In most houses the main water shutoff is located inside the house close to the main water line. If your home has a basement the water line will enter through the foundation wall or basement slab. If your home is on a slab the water line enters through the slab. In a home built above a crawl space the water line is through the foundation wall or through the soil.

 

2) Fixture shutoff valves shut the water off to one fixture at a time. These valves are usually located on the water line under the fixture. (ex: sink, toilet, laundry tub.)

 

3) Appliance shutoff valves are located on the water heater’s incoming cold water supply and a boiler’s incoming water line. On a washing machine it is located on the hot and cold water lines and only the hot water line of a dishwasher.

 

4) Sprinkler system shutoff valves are usually inside the house near where the main water line enters BUT after the main water shutoff. This allows the system to be winterized.

 

5) Older outdoor faucet shutoff valves shut the water off to the outdoor faucets in an emergency. In older homes they can be used to winterize faucets in cold climates.

 

Now that we have scratched the surface of the plumbing features in a home, next week wee will go over the basics of the electrical system and gas and oil equipment.

 

Happy Reading!!!!

 

The Turner Team

 

Posted at 10:20AM Feb 03, 2009 by Abbey Turner in General  |  Comments[0]