How to save thousands...

That doohickey right up there ^^^ above this text is a shut-off valve.  Knowing where in your house you can find these babies can save you thousands of dollars if you ever find yourself with water flooding into your home due to broken pipes or malfunctioning fixtures.

First, a word on how this simple valve works.  The red handle should* turn (often 1/4 rotation) and the water should stop flowing.  Some fixtures, such as toilets, sinks, washing machines and showers have their own, smaller shut-offs.  Those look like this and are located right next to or under the fixture:

Depending on the type of shut-off, these may turn a 1/4 turn, or they may require several turns to shut the water off.

If you need to shut off water to the whole house, locate the main shut-off (1st picture) which will likely be near where water service comes in to your house.  This could be on the 1st floor, or possibly in the basement.  Once the water is turned off, start mopping up the spilled water and give us a call.

Shut-offs fail periodically and some fixture installations are done without adding a new shut-off.  It's smart to have a plumber come check your shut-offs periodically to make sure they are in working order when you need one.

If you'd like us to give you a hand, please give us a call, we are happy to help.

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*There are several kinds of shut-off valves on the market.  Some are cheap, $6-$8 like the kind found at the home improvement store.  We have seen those valves fail so many times, we never install them in customer's homes.  Because it is so important that shut-offs work when needed, we only use the brand that we trust.  Sure, it costs a couple of bucks more but if for some reason there's water pouring on to your floor, all you'll care about is that it works.