This configuration of pipes and valves is fairly typical of how many properties here in Gold Canyon were connected to the main water supply when they were built and the problems with this particular setup may not be immediately obvious to many people. But there are a few.
Water under this setup comes into the property through the vertical pipe that’s been painted white at some point and rises up from ground level before having a branch running off horizontally through a vacuum breaker valve to feed the irrigation system. The main supply to the house continues vertically passing through the main water shut-off valve for the house before entering the property through the side wall about 24″ off the ground.
There are two potentially significant problems with this setup.
- There is no pressure regulation valve fitted to the main water line
- The isolation valve used here is a “gate valve” rather than a more robust “ball valve”
Why are either of these aspects potential problems? Well, let’s deal with the pressure valve issue first.
If no pressure valve is fitted to the main incoming water line to your home then all the appliances, fixtures and fittings within your home that are attached to that water main incoming water line (washing machines, dishwashers, water softeners, RO systems etc) are exposed to whatever water pressure is delivered to your property by your water supplier.
The job of a pressure regulation valve is to limit that incoming water pressure to a safe level (ie typically below 80 psi) so as not to damage any pipework or appliances should a “pressure event” arise.
Why could that be important? Well, if you try and make an insurance claim for a damaged appliance that has caused water damage and the insurance loss adjuster measures an incoming water pressure in excess of 80 psi then your claim may well be denied. So having a pressure regulation valve fitted is always a good choice.
So, OK … you get a pressure valve fitted. Why is a ball valve better than a gate valve for the main water shut-off?
The first reason is that with a gate valve it is impossible to tell just by looking at it whether the valve is open or closed.
All gate valves have circular “twist handles” that open and close them (as in the picture here) You turn them clockwise to close and anti-clockwise to open, but its absolutely impossible to tell when the valve is open, closed or partially one way or the other without messing around with it and attempting to either open or close it.
All ball valves on the other hand have lever-like handles that indicate closed when the lever is at 90 degrees to the pipe it is fitted to and open when in line with the pipe it is fitted to.
If you want to avoid having to constantly check whether the valve is open or closed then fit a ball valve. It becomes obvious immediately.
The second reason is that ball valves aren’t as prone to getting stuck in their normal “open” position as gate valves are in our hard water Gold Canyon environment.
So, you switch out the gate valve for a ball valve on your main water shut off. What is the final benefit of fitting a ball valve?
The final benefit is that the lever-like handle of a ball valve is far less likely to break or “strip out” than the circular turn handle on a gate valve, especially if the valve starts to get sticky.
There is absolutely nothing worse than being unable to shut the water off to your house in an emergency because the shut-off valve is stuck and the handle breaks on you when you try and force it.
Lever handled ball valves and pressure regulators should be standard on main water lines to minimize the likelihood of future problems and if you don’t have them … you may want to get them.
