Main valve

Hi - stupid question for you:

The main water supply shut off valve in my basement is in really rough shape. If I reached a point where I felt it was necessary to change it, where would I even start? I feel like I should call the water company first, but I feel like there might be a thing or two that I ought to know first.

You have to get the city to shut off the water at the road where it enters your place. Different places do it differently but give them a call when you are ready to do it they will come out.


I had an old gate valve first thing in the basement that looked 100 years old and I dreaded turning it. I shut it off and then added a new ball valve right after it. I opened the old valve and now will always leave it open. If I ever need to shut the whole house down I use the new valve. That doesn’t mean the old valve couldn’t start leaking or something but without being opened and closed I figure it should be fine.

Is it steel or copper pipe?
Got a picture so we can see what your seeing?

I don't have a photo handy, but I can take one. All piping in the house is very old. I don't think the pipe from the water main to the valve is copper nor steel. Maybe iron?

billshack said:

bud, did the same thing in m house .

Click to expand...

Woke up the other day and went to rinse out the coffee pot and the water coming out of the sink kept getting hotter and hotter pretty soon it was hot enough to make coffee with. I don’t know if it was boiling but pretty close. I ran down to the basement and saw the pressure safety valve was spurting so I shut the gas off. Worrying about my PEX failing I went back up stairs and ran the hot again to let off the pressure and get some cold water in the tank and lines. Once I got things under control and the coffee brewing I went back down to find the tank leaking from the back.


So I went over to my 6 year old ball valve mentioned above and shut the water off.


I planned to change the hot water tank when we bought the house but her grandfather talked me into giving it a try and we got 6 years out of it so he was right. The problem is I was 6 years younger then. We went to Home Depot and got zero help and were looking at tanks for a good half hour. Got it off the shelf and on the cart ourselves and loaded it ourselves a 50 gallon Reem. We had a fun talk over getting the 6 year or the 12 I opted for the 12 saying with a little luck I wont ever have to change a tank again. Getting it down the stairs was the fun part as the new tanks have no hand holds.


The replacment only took 20 minutes thanks to the PEX install. I love PEX.


Anyway the ball valve saved the day glad I put it in.