Can’t Find Your Shut-Off Valve? Ask A Maurais & Sons, Inc.
It’s important to know how and why to locate your shut-off valves. Whether for the toilet, or for the house, your shut-off valves are crucial to home maintenance. You need to be able to use shut-off valves in a water-related emergency. Furthermore, you’ll need to use shut-off valves if you’ve asked A Maurais & Sons, Inc. to do any plumbing repairs.
You Have Shut-Off Valves for the Sink and for the Toilet
If you don’t already know, you have shut-off valves for the sink and for the toilet. Shut-off valves for the sink are underneath the fixture. They work by gripping the pipe and creating a watertight seal, usually with an O-ring. Typically, shut-off valves for the sink are push-fit or push-in style. Shut-off valves for the toilet are located to the fixture’s bottom left and operate in one of two ways. One shut-off valve for the toilet has a solid internal part that rotates. One direction opens the flow of water, and the other direction blocks it. Another type of shut-off valve for the toilet has a kind of stem with a washer or seal. The stem squeezes down to stop the flow of water.
There’s Also a Main Shut-Off Valve for the House
Sometimes, you need to turn off the water to your bathtub or in more than one area of the home. In that case, you’ll need to use the shut-off valve for the house. You can usually find shut-off valves for the house within three to five feet of the water main. Follow where the water line comes into your home. The shut-off valve for the house is close by, probably near the front. Sometimes, shut-off valves for the house are near the faucet used for the garden hose.
You’ll Need Your Shut-Off Valves in an Emergency and Before Any Repairs
Now that you know where to find the shut-off valves for the sink, for the toilet, and for the house, so what? Knowing where to find these shut-off valves will help you in an emergency situation. An emergency could mean a broken pipe has resulted in water flooding your home. Something contaminating your water supply is another emergency. Besides an emergency, you’ll also need to use any one of these shut-off valves before doing plumbing repairs. You definitely want your water off before doing any repairs; otherwise, you’ll end up needing repairs to water-damaged items.Keep in mind that there are some homes that do not have shut-offs for every fixture. If that’s the case, call us and we can install shut-offs in case of a water leak emergency.
We’ve offered plumbing and HVAC services for more than 90 years at A Maurais & Sons, Inc. To learn more, call us at (207) 897-3027 and follow and like us on Facebook. Our plumbers are happy to discuss how and why to locate your shut-off valves.
