As a leading plumbing expert in Las Vegas and Henderson, we pride ourselves on being able to deliver excellent customer service with quality workmanship. Village Plumbing LLC is always here when you need us, even after hours. But as a homeowner, there are some basic things that you should know about your plumbing system, including the location of shut-off valves in case you cannot stop the flow of water. In today’s post, we’d like to share with you just five of them.
1. Your Main water shut-off valve
The location of your main water shut-off valve is probably the most vital information to have on hand at all times. Make sure that you and capable family members know exactly where to shut off the water supply should they need to. Burst pipes and other problems can quickly fill your home with water unless you can stop it by turning off your main valve. Some homes built in the early 90’s and before do not have a main shut-off valve except in the meter box in the sidewalk. This is now against plumbing codes. Every home must have an accessible shut-off valve on their property.
2. Shut-off valves under toilets
This is necessary in case waste water rising in the toilet begins to overflow after flushing it. We’ve all experienced this horrifying sight and we then frantically reach down to the side of the fixture to turn it off. Hopefully the angle stop is not 15 years old and is still viable. Sometimes they cannot be shut off. This is a bad scene. Village Plumbing LLC can easily check and replace old or corroded angle stops for you.
Everyone should know the water pressure of their plumbing system. At Home Depot you can buy a gauge made to be screwed on your outside faucet which will tell you what your water pressure is. If it is above 70 pounds you should try to adjust the pressure reducing valve in your garage. If you loosen the screw on the top of the reducing valve, the pressure will decrease, if the valve is still viable. Loosen the screw, run the water, then see where the pressure settles. If it does not change then the reducing valve is bad and must be replaced. Their lifespan is 10 to 15 years. If there is no reducing valve and your pressure is more than 80 pounds, you must install one. High water pressure will, in time, damage your plumbing system, possibly flooding out your house in the process.
On many housing tracts a W and an S are etched in the sidewalk by the developers. This allows you to plan any renovations secure in the knowledge of pipe locations. You can call your local gas company to find out where your gas lines are located.
If your water bill suddenly spikes, turn off all fixtures and look at that little arrow in the clock like circle on your meter. If it is spinning, you may have a leak somewhere. Hopefully it is not a slab leak. Give us a call and we will locate the leak for you, giving you the best options for repair. It may be where the water main tees off to the irrigation system, or in the water main to the house, or as I said before, it could an underground slab leak. All single story houses are plumbed by running the water main to one location, to the shut-off valve in the garage, and then to the fixtures under the concrete. Before the year 2000, copper pipe was used to do this. Unfortunately copper pipe underground has a 20 year lifespan before the soil eats it away. Now, heavy duty plastic pipe with a lifespan of 50 years or more is used.You can call Village Plumbing LLC at 702-460-8682 or visit us online at www.villageplumbinglv.com
