House main water shut off!

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House main water shut off!
Topic Started: Jul 1 2016, 03:42 AM (517 Views)
swing	Jul 1 2016, 03:42 AM Post #1
swing Posts: 9,979 Group: Member Member #359 Joined: August 18, 2006	I'm appealing to those on here that have knowledge of plumbing. We have water shut offs on all toilets, sinks etc., but not the bath tub. Last night the hot water tap became disengaged, virtually blew off and water blasting all over the main bath on the upper level. By the time I got to the basement to shut off the main water supply there was quite a mess. But for water on a few ceiling tiles all seems restored. Question is the main shut off is now leaking sigh! This has never happened when we've had to turn it off before. We have a bucket under it presently. Can't get a plumber until Monday a.m. Do you think this can be fixed or will the city have to shutoff the water so it can be?



Delphi51	Jul 1 2016, 04:21 AM Post #2
Member title Posts: 13,967 Group: Administration Member #441 Joined: October 10, 2006	It is quite common for the main shutoff to fail due to age and lack of use. Yes, the valve on the pipe feeding your home should be shut off to enable repair or replacement of the tap in the house. It is very easy to shut off the water line valve - I did it once on my dad's house. The town guys will do it free of charge upon request. I'm trying to remember to replace the rubbers on ours next time there is a water shutoff for some reason. I have exercised it - we shut off the water when leaving for more than a day or two.



wildie	Jul 1 2016, 04:53 AM Post #3
Veteran Member Posts: 12,173 Group: Member Member #442 Joined: October 11, 2006	swing Jul 1 2016, 03:42 AM I'm appealing to those on here that have knowledge of plumbing. We have water shut offs on all toilets, sinks etc., but not the bath tub. Last night the hot water tap became disengaged, virtually blew off and water blasting all over the main bath on the upper level. By the time I got to the basement to shut off the main water supply there was quite a mess. But for water on a few ceiling tiles all seems restored. Question is the main shut off is now leaking sigh! This has never happened when we've had to turn it off before. We have a bucket under it presently. Can't get a plumber until Monday a.m. Do you think this can be fixed or will the city have to shutoff the water so it can be? The street shut-off will have to turned off. If you have a plumber coming he will probably have a key that fits. The city forbids outsiders from turning these off, likely at the behest of their unionized staff! I have turned these off on some occasions by using a pair of needle nose Vise Grips. please don't tell anybody! LOL! As home owners, one mistake we all make is to exercise these shut-offs. Over the course of time they become frozen and then when you need them, they won't work. I have found that ball shut-offs are less prone to become seized up. Whenever I find one of mine that is seized, I replace it with a new ball type.



wildie	Jul 1 2016, 05:04 AM Post #4
Veteran Member Posts: 12,173 Group: Member Member #442 Joined: October 11, 2006	Delphi51 Jul 1 2016, 04:21 AM It is quite common for the main shutoff to fail due to age and lack of use. Yes, the valve on the pipe feeding your home should be shut off to enable repair or replacement of the tap in the house. It is very easy to shut off the water line valve - I did it once on my dad's house. The town guys will do it free of charge upon request. I'm trying to remember to replace the rubbers on ours next time there is a water shutoff for some reason. I have exercised it - we shut off the water when leaving for more than a day or two. I shut mine off if I'm going to be away also! Learned my lesson the hard way! At my cottage, I installed a main shut-off under the bathroom sink, It was incase a problem occurred when my disabled wife was by herself, She couldn't get to the shutoff where it came into the house. She is now long gone, but the shutoff is handy at its present location, as I always shut it off when the place is unoccupied. On one occasion, I had an undetected leak occur and my water bill, which is about $10/month ran up to over $200.



swing	Jul 1 2016, 05:21 AM Post #5
swing Posts: 9,979 Group: Member Member #359 Joined: August 18, 2006	Hopefully this guy knows. I've never had him before but came recommended by a friend. I had another guy to install a new garburator and fix a couple under the sink leaks nearly 800.00! He said the garburator was 450.00! I was so ticked I said to him that's substantial for people on a fixed income! He replied you can't be too poor still living in this big house,what a JERK! My son once had a roofer friend who said he increased his price 30% when he went into Jewish neighbourhoods! This Hood was not always jewish however they built a new synagogue close by so many have purchased in here so they can walk!



Dialtone	Jul 1 2016, 06:59 AM Post #6
Gold Star Member Posts: 7,190 Group: Member Member #721 Joined: April 1, 2010	We always shut off our water if we are going to be away for longer than a couple nights. We have 2 shutoffs, before and after the water meter, we shut the water off with the second valve after the water meter. The old style "faucet" style main shutoffs should be exercised at least every 6 months or so, there is a lot of sediment and slime in domestic water supplies that build up and will collect on the valve so it will freeze after long times of non-use. The newer sealed ball style shutoffs are much better, but should be exercised at least every year. We had our water meter replaced about a year ago, and the guy almost broke his wrist trying to shut off the first main intake valve, it had never been closed in 10 yrs. A slow leak after using a valve that hasn't been closed for a long time is common, turn it on and off a few times and it might stop, but make sure you open the valve all the way, not partially.



agate	Jul 1 2016, 10:48 AM Post #7
Posts: 21,864 Group: Administration Member #203 Joined: February 2, 2006	Oh no you are all scaring me. I have never shut mine.



swing	Jul 1 2016, 03:42 PM Post #8
swing Posts: 9,979 Group: Member Member #359 Joined: August 18, 2006	I'm thinking there must be a main water intake valve into the house that he can turn off to repair the in house one. I know not where though after 28 years!



Darcie	Jul 1 2016, 04:21 PM Post #9
Skeptic Posts: 31,154 Group: Member Member #714 Joined: March 30, 2010	This reminds me of the time my daughter in Montreal called me in a panic asking where the shutoff was before the meter which was in the garage. I was in London and told her it was in the yard and needed a long key, to call the city. They had a major disaster, the city finally came and dug out the snow and turned the water off. The shutoff for the house was placed just before the meter and the break was about 1 foot towards the city's responsibility. They paid for everything and the insurance covered the rest. I was the only one who knew where it was, they didn't remember me telling them.



campy	Jul 1 2016, 05:52 PM Post #10
Handyman Extraordinaire Posts: 28,720 Group: no politics Member #204 Joined: February 2, 2006	Quote: We have water shut offs on all toilets, sinks etc., but not the bath tub Address the problem. There should be a water shut off on the bath tub lines to the bath tub as well. If you have to cut an access panel from behind then do so and install a shut off valve at the tub faucet lines. Then if you have to replace a washer or even the fixture itself it's a simple solution. I installed a panel behind a shower fixture in a friends home that was constantly leaking because the pipe leading to it was not soldered properly. In fact there was no solder at all in the joint. How it held up over the years must have been from the flux in the joint. Then all we did was put a picture over the panel. Every faucet in the house should have a shut off valve installed before the faucet. It makes life much simpler and prevents damage way before having to go to find the main shut off. That should be code. I live in an apartment now and it just bugs me that I have to call a repair man to fix just the simplest little thing. Re basement main shut off valve. Sometimes these will leak for awhile after being used and then stop as the washer expands again. In the meantime just keep a bucket underneath it. Edited by campy, Jul 1 2016, 06:07 PM.



Durgan	Jul 2 2016, 01:58 AM Post #11
Veteran Member Posts: 13,273 Group: Gardening Guru Member #720 Joined: March 31, 2010	My kitchen hot tap was leaking yesterday. So I decided to change the washer. After some trepidation I discovered that the handles just pulled off no screw or anything. Anyway I unscrewed the cover holding the cartridge in place and looked at something I have never seen before. Complicated plastic. Anyway I took all to two hardware stores and nobody had such a cartridge. No name on the faucet. In disgust I drove home and figured I would put it back together for another day but it was not so. The screw cap holding the cartridge was eaten slightly and would not screw back on the thread, so another trip to Canadian Tire and the purchase of a new kitchen faucet for $130.00. There was no shut off due to the pipe having gobs of solder down the pipes and I didn't want to try compression fittings for adding a shut off valve. I had to turn off the water at the input before the meter. Anyways all went reasonably well. At one store I was admonished to buy only Emco or Moem not those obscure no names types of equipment for plumbing. The type with the lifetime guarantee with the receipt as if a person keeps the receipt for years. Oh the vicissitudes of life, How much longer Lord?



Trotsky	Jul 2 2016, 02:13 AM Post #12
Big City Boy Posts: 38,319 Group: Member Member #79 Joined: September 8, 2005	Quote: Oh the vicissitudes of life, How much longer Lord? They did a study. The average life lasts approximately 31 faucet repairs. (Geez, $130 is a pretty pricey faucet Durgan, even with a deteriorated looney. Did you check Home Depot?) Edited by Trotsky, Jul 2 2016, 02:14 AM.



Durgan	Jul 2 2016, 02:18 AM Post #13
Veteran Member Posts: 13,273 Group: Gardening Guru Member #720 Joined: March 31, 2010	I checked Home Depot and Lowes and they had nothing suitable. Canadian Tire was my third choice. I got the lowest price, since my shack doesn't require the latest fashion.



wildie	Jul 2 2016, 02:44 AM Post #14
Veteran Member Posts: 12,173 Group: Member Member #442 Joined: October 11, 2006	I had to change my bathroom taps at the cottage. While doing so, I decided to install a pair of supply shut-off valves. This required that I would cut into the supply lines. To install copper fittings would mean using a propane torch in confined quarters. Concerned about burning the house down, I decided to use a new type of fitting that makes a seal using an 'O' ring. Never having used this type of fitting I started with trepidation. However, it was just a case of cleaning the pipe and sliding the fitting on. They worked perfectly. These fittings can also be disconnected using a plastic tool thats available where you buy the fittings.



campy	Jul 2 2016, 03:28 AM Post #15
Handyman Extraordinaire Posts: 28,720 Group: no politics Member #204 Joined: February 2, 2006	Compression fittings are usually used on smaller lines. Nice. No washers to leak I will have to traipse through the plumbing department to see what's new in the plumbing line. No use working harder than you have to.



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