Which of these is main water shutoff...?

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zepper

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Hey guys,

On our plumber's advice, I've obtained a replacement for our leaking shower diverter cartridge that I'll replace myself.

Thing is, I'm not sure where our house's main water shutoff is. We haven't had the place that long—and unfortunately I wasn't watching when the plumber turned the water off and on when he was here a while back. (What I thought was the water valve was actually the gas... They look the same.)

We have on-demand hot water and in-floor radiant heating—so when I look in the heater closet, I see at least a dozen valves. Here's a photo. I think the main shutoff is the upper one I've circled, as it seems to be feeding everything else. (Our house is on a hillside and the closet's on the lower level, so I assume the supply's coming in from the top.)

valves_galore.jpg

Is that correct?

Also, will turning off the supply for a short time affect anything else? Should I turn off the heater first? I don't know how to do that either, but I'm good at following instructions. (And yes, I have plumbed—replaced toilets, replaced pipes & traps under sinks, etc.), so I'm not a complete beginner. Thanks for your help!
 
Find the source of power for the on demand,make sure house is not calling for heat, turn off the valve you have circled, go to any faucet and see if you get any water.
 
I've now read that it is indeed essential to turn off an on-demand (tankless) water heater before turning off the main water. But it's a natural-gas heater—so I should turn off the gas too, right? (I couldn't identify the breaker for it, but it's plugged in right there in the closet, so I could just unplug it, couldn't I?) But when I turn it back on, will the heater automatically re-light?

Maybe I'd better wait a few days till I can reach the plumber who was here before. If I blew up our house, it wouldn't sit well with my wife. Thanks anyway!
 
Wait a sec! Maybe I'm being dense. We've had numerous power outages, and our hot water has always come back when the power went back on... So obviously, the heater's power can go off and on without bad effects. I'll give it a try... Thanks!
 
Is all the PEX in your house red? Normally, you use red for hot and blue for cold water. Are you on well or public water? Can you trace the line back to where water enters your house? If you're on a well you should have a pressure tank in the house that holds 30-50 gallons of water to keep the pump from cycling on and off every time you open the tap. If you have a pressure tank you'd want to cut the water off after the tank. If you're on public water there may be a pressure regulator on the main line coming in from the street. Here in NC our meters are located near the street. In colder climates the meter is often in the structure since the water lines are run much deeper to prevent freezing. I have a tool I can cut the water off at the curb.

Pressure regulator
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Watts-LFN45B-Copper-3-4-in-MNPT-Pressure-Reducing-Valve/3503148
Pressure tank
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Water-Worker-44-Gallon-Vertical-Pressure-Tank/1001001852
 
Is all the PEX in your house red? Normally, you use red for hot and blue for cold water. Are you on well or public water?...

Thanks for your time—that's very kind of you. Yes, all our PEX is red, and we're on public water... That's interesting stuff to know, though!

Well, I just tried it, but that valve I circled wasn't the main shut-off. It's on the biggest hose, and comes down from ground level above, away from the others, so I'm baffled.

I've no idea where else it could be. So I guess I'll get hold of the plumber and find out if he remembers how he worked his magic.
 
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Where is your water meter
Here in NC ours are outside near the curb. But starting where the water comes into the house is always a good place to start. I sure can't tell from this picture where his main shut off valve is located. His post hasn't been updated for 3 weeks now, so we don't know if he found it or not.
 
Yes that red pipe with the circle looks like it, give it a try, see if it does the job.
 
Nope, I still haven't figured it out! I've called our plumbing service a few times, but always get the receptionist... The actual surgeon—sorry, I mean plumber (it's so easy to confuse them, as their income's the same) is always off somewhere.

We don't have a water meter. Our municipality bills us a flat rate. There's been discussion about installing them, as summer watering restrictions have been implemented in the last few years, and meters will be the only real way to tell who's obeying them or not.
 
Nope, I still haven't figured it out! I've called our plumbing service a few times, but always get the receptionist... The actual surgeon—sorry, I mean plumber (it's so easy to confuse them, as their income's the same) is always off somewhere.

We don't have a water meter. Our municipality bills us a flat rate. There's been discussion about installing them, as summer watering restrictions have been implemented in the last few years, and meters will be the only real way to tell who's obeying them or not.
You clearly dont know any plumbers to make a statement they make as much as a surgeon. I on the other hand know a plumber, he is typing this message. He said he can guarantee he makes far less than any surgeon in this country. Maybe there is a mouse or hamster surgeon out there that may make what i do, but i doubt it
 
You clearly dont know any plumbers to make a statement they make as much as a surgeon. I on the other hand know a plumber, he is typing this message. He said he can guarantee he makes far less than any surgeon in this country. Maybe there is a mouse or hamster surgeon out there that may make what i do, but i doubt it

LOL... On the plus side, you probably don't need to play golf nearly as often either.

Just to follow through, I finally found our shut-off:

water_shut-off.jpg

Our water heater's downstairs, so this hole in our downstairs hall (which we usually cover with a picture) was the first place I checked. But my attention was drawn by the red ball valve at the top. And when I tried it, the nearby sink still worked.

Since we're on a slope, with the upper level at street grade, I assumed our water came in from above. So it didn't occur to me to look down—otherwise I would've spotted the dark stop valve beneath it. That's the main.

A friend finally helped me out. Showed me where our gas shut-off was too (good thing to know!). Thanks though, guys—always fun chatting w/you. 👷‍♂️ 👍
 

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