Get to Know Your House - Your Water Supply

Knowing the main aspects of your electrical service, gas system and water supply is empowering information when unexpected events happen in your home, like gas or water leaks or current overloads that leave your room in the dark at night time.
If water comes into your home from a private or municipal company, you will find an outside water supply control that the company employees will operate with special tools. If you suspect that there is a leak in the larger system, given an unusual water flow near the street, call the company to come and investigate and eventually repair the situation.
You should know where the water meter outside your house is and look inside for the water pipe supplying your home. What is of special interest to you is where the shutoff valves are placed. In an older house, the water control is usually a gate valve having a round handle. In newer buildings the straight-handled ball valve is used.
The way a gate valve works is the way any round handled faucet works. Clockwise turns shut the water supply off, while counterclockwise turns will allow the flow to run normally. Sometimes the valve may be difficult to turn, but using some lubricant will ease the process. Main controls are not operated often and that is why an old gate valve can be very difficult to turn on and off after some time of not being used. If the lubricant doesn't do the trick, then a plumber should be called in if you need to turn the supply on or off.
Ball valves are strong and last long and you may replace old gate valves with one. The way they are operated is this: when the handle is parallel to the pipe it means that there is water flow, when it is perpendicular to the pipe (right angle), then the water is shut off.
If you live in the countryside you probably get your water from a well, since there may be no municipal water service there. Find out where the well is located and where the water pipe comes into your house. You will find a shutoff just like the ones described above, only Butterfly Valve no water meter. If water is leaking in your house you can stop the water flow by using the shutoff at the pipe or by shutting off the circuit that has the well pump under control. You will do that from your electrical panel.
If a private water well supplies your home, the waste water will usually go to a septic tank and septic field on your property. If you didn't receive a map showing where your septic system is when you moved in, then go to the county Board of Health to get one. You should also find a company to regularly pump out your septic tank. The frequency for this operation is chosen depending on the number of people living in your house.
Knowing the main aspects of your electrical service, gas system and water supply is empowering information when unexpected events happen in your home, like gas www.zdvalve.com or water leaks or current overloads that leave your room in the dark at night time. If water... home,water supply