Don’t turn off your own water!

If you have a situation in which you need to turn your water off at the meter, such as making repairs to your house plumbing, if at all possible, call the District. We do not charge to turn your water on or off for repairs, or, for that matter, vacations.

There is no rule that says you can’t turn your own water off at the meter. But if damage is caused, you are responsible for any and all costs associated with that damage.

As an example: If you break the ball valve, it will have to be replaced. To do that we will have to excavate down to the water main in order to turn off the valve at the tap on the water main. That often involves not only excavation, but cutting into, and subsequently repairing, County road paving. The project can turn into thousands of dollars very rapidly.

And it can get even uglier. In many cases the tap at the water main includes a brass ball valve followed by a galvanized steel elbow. Different metals in contact with each other in acidic soils form a low voltage battery that results in severe corrosion. We frequently find this kind of combination to be nothing more than a big ball of rust. In which case all the hardware at the tap will need to be replaced.

Replacing tap hardware involves shutting down the water main. Which will put some number of additional residences out of water. Which will trigger a boil water advisory and multiple water samples. All of which could add thousands of dollars more.

Sometimes you have lousy choices. An example might be a major leak in your house that is causing significant property damage every minute it is blowing water into your home. If it is on a weekend, it might take a couple of hours for the District to respond. In which case, you may have to turn off your own water. Do so VERY carefully and contact the District as soon as you have the situation under control. When repairs are finished, we will be glad to come out and turn the water back on.

It is current plumbing code that there be a whole-house water shut off installed somewhere accessible. Not all houses have one installed. See if one is installed in your house and make sure it is in operating condition. That way you do not need to depend on the District if there is a problem in your home.

As a side note, it is a good idea to turn off your water, and your water heater, when you plan to be away from home for more than a day or two. You can arrange to have the District turn off your water any time Monday through Friday 8:00AM to 5:00PM.

Emergency turn offs are available any time, though it may take up to two hours to respond on weekends or holidays.