It is common for a property owner to utilize the house control valve for an internal plumbing repair, or if a new meter installation is required. The plumber must stop the water running from the city water main in the roadway, before he can perform any type of internal plumbing work.
There are several reasons why a homeowner may need to utilize the main house control valve. The most common reasons are if there is an internal leak, a new meter must be installed, or if a Backflow device is required for the building.
The plumber must first stop the water from the city water main, to inside the house before any repair work can be completed. All commercial and residential buildings have a house control valve which is usually located near the foundation wall in the front of the house. It is most common to have a ball valve or an OSY valve as the main control valve. Older water mains and houses may have a gate valve as the primary valve to control water coming into the house.
OS&Y valve |
Ball valve |
Recently in queens
A property owner decided to install a water meter as she was previously paying a flat rate “frontage”, based on the size of her building and number of water fixtures. She hired a plumber to install the new meter when he became aware that the existing water line was old, made of lead and corroded. The plumber would not touch the water main control valve in fear that it would break, or get stuck in the closed position. It was suggested to have the entire water line replaced due to the existing material. Not only would it have been risky to install a valve on a lead pipe, it is also illegal to perform any type of repair on a lead water main.
Old & corroded pipe |
New water main install |
The water main replacement was scheduled for later that week and was all completed within one day. The internal plumber was now able to close the new ball valve and install the new meter with ease.
Recently in Brooklyn
A building owner was not as lucky when his plumber decided to utilize an old gate valve, before repairing a leaking pipe just after the meter. The valve was stuck in the closed position and now had to have the repair made on an emergency basis. The existing water line was made of copper and was in decent condition, the owner had an option as to whether he wanted to replace the entire pipe, or just the valve. He had planned on giving the house to his daughter one day and wanted to avoid any water main work in the years to come. He made a proactive decision to replace the entire main from the street, to inside the house.
The new water main was installed on an emergency basis; all required permits were obtained by the licensed plumber before opening the roadway and installing the pipe. To the owners surprise, the new 1 ¼” copper water main was installed the very next morning and was completed in a total of 6 hours.
Recently in Manhattan
A building was required to have a Backflow prevention device installed as the commercial space was going to be occupied by a hair salon. The plumber was aware that the OS&Y valve was not in great shape and decided to utilize the curb valve to control the water. He quickly became aware that the curb valve was no longer functional, it continued to spin when attempting to close the valve. Luckily the building did not lose any water or pressure, and the valve replacements could be performed on a non-emergency basis. The owner decided to replace both the curb valve and the OS&Y valve at the same time. All permits were obtained and the repair work begun one week later.
Turning off water in roadway |
Installing new curb valve |
The roadway now had to be opened for the water to be turned off form the city main. once the water was off, the installation team opened the sidewalk for the curb valve replacement and new OS&Y valve installation on the inside of the building. The installations and DEP inspections were all completed within one day. The plumber was now able to perform his Backflow installation with two options for closing the water
