Master main water shutoff in home built inside pedestal?

[Rand]

There's normally one where the water line enters your house besides the street shut off

The street shutoff is usually owned by the local govt and after that is your responsibility.
(mine is curbside)

Thats definitely not the main shutoff for the house which should be inside.

 

[GON]

There's normally one where the water line enters your house besides the street shut off

The street shutoff is usually owned by the local govt and after that is your responsibility.
(mine is curbside)

Thats definitely not the main shutoff for the house which should be inside.

My money is the main shutoff is in the inside of the pedestal. The pedestal is closest point to the street water main, and is where the water softener and hot water heater are.

Just not sure I want to open up the pedestal now. Lots of honey do projects, I spent four hours starting at 2am working on the fleck water softener this morning.

 

[Mazomopar]

Is your softener plumbed with a bypass valve that also has an off position available? Assuming hot and cold are softened.

 

[Rand]

My money is the main shutoff is in the inside of the pedestal. The pedestal is closest point to the street water main, and is where the water softener and hot water heater are.

Just not sure I want to open up the pedestal now. Lots of honey do projects, I spent four hours starting at 2am working on the fleck water softener this morning.

Are there water lines exiting the pedestal? Where does the water enter the house?

 

[rszappa1]

The street cover has a lock and needs a key to remove. I will be buying one of the cover keys.

Town came out and turned off the water. The tool the use to turn off the water was about a six foot long t handle.

The town was really good about coming out and shutting off the water, and then returned to turn the water back on.

You can purchase that tool at Home Depot or Lowes. I always turn the water off at the street when going on vacation...very easy to do...

 

[GON]

Is your softener plumbed with a bypass valve that also has an off position available? Assuming hot and cold are softened.

Yes, hot and cold are softened, but not outside water. Turning off the softener supply doesn't shut off outside water.

Speaking on water softener. House intermittently has no inside water, apparently after a water softener recharge. Spent the early morning hours the last two days tearing apart a Fleck controller.

What I suspect the no water flow after regeneration is the town is adding chlorine to the water and the chlorine is reacting with the resin, not allowing water to pass through the resin.......... always something..........

 

[repairman54]

Softener should be going into bypass when doing a regeneration. Chlorine will not plug the resin bed temporarily.
Sounds like an issue in the softeners valve head.

 

[JustinH]

yep you need a curb key.

 

[GON]

Softener should be going into bypass when doing a regeneration. Chlorine will not plug the resin bed temporarily.
Sounds like an issue in the softeners valve head.

I read Terry Love's plumbing forum, which has an excellent database on softener issues. This is where I learned about the chlorine from municipal water impacting the softener resin, thus restricting water flow through the resin. Softener does go into bypass during regeneration.

Here is one of many threads on the subject. One way to address chlorine in the municipal water is to change the resin formulation:
https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/8-or-10-resin.112133/#post-788668

 

[rszappa1]

I read Terry Love's plumbing forum, which has an excellent database on softener issues. This is where I learned about the chlorine from municipal water impacting the softener resin, thus restricting water flow through the resin. Softener does go into bypass during regeneration.

Here is one of many threads on the subject. One way to address chlorine in the municipal water is to change the resin formulation:
https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/8-or-10-resin.112133/#post-788668

How old is the resin in the tank. I had to replace mine after about 10 years....

 

[JohnnyG]

The street cover has a lock and needs a key to remove. I will be buying one of the cover keys.

Town came out and turned off the water. The tool the use to turn off the water was about a six foot long t handle.

The town was really good about coming out and shutting off the water, and then returned to turn the water back on.

Pretty common setup even for around here. That T handle is typically just a slot that fits over the valve "handle". It just need to be kinda stout because those valves are more like flat plate "flappers", even though they are 1/4 turn, like a ball valve.
It's best to call the city because it takes a certain "feel" to get them to seal properly without damaging them or turning the wrong way.

I had a plumber here that tried to turn our main valve off but couldn't do it, said it was damaged. (his t handle was kinda flimsy) Anyway, we called the city and they didn't have a bit of problem with it.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

I would try to trace the cold water supply line to the slab or foundation wall. Normally, water service valves are 3' past foundation wall or slab. If you find nothing, then it's outside. If you have no valve, I would seriously consider hiring a plumber or a " friend plumber" to install one INSIDE the house. A 1/4 turn brass ball valve with a handle on it. Put a tag on it so everybody knows what it is. You should ALWAYS have quick access to a water main line shut off valve. You never know what might burst inside the house one day. I see you have a catch pan under the hot water tank. That means there's a sensor laying in there somewhere to detect water. Guess what. Those sensor shut off valves don't work unless you operate them a couple of times a year. Stick a screwdriver to make the " connection" across the sensor and see if the valve shuts off. If not, take it apart and work the valve to unstick it. Minerals in the water freezes up those valves. Then put it back together. It's simple to do. That catch pan also tells me you're on a slab. No floor drains. Even more of a reason to have an accessible water main shut off valve.

 

[Mazomopar]

Yes, hot and cold are softened, but not outside water. Turning off the softener supply doesn't shut off outside water.

Speaking on water softener. House intermittently has no inside water, apparently after a water softener recharge. Spent the early morning hours the last two days tearing apart a Fleck controller.

What I suspect the no water flow after regeneration is the town is adding chlorine to the water and the chlorine is reacting with the resin, not allowing water to pass through the resin.......... always something..........

At least it's a Fleck. Not a no name Temu special.

 

[zzyzzx]

It's in the crawlspace or basement. If neither of those exist, then you shouldn't have bought the house.

 

[GON]

Quick update.

Have a lot of projects ongoing, and Grandsons over for two weeks. Decided to go with the recommendation in this thread to acquire the street cutoff tools. At a later date I will open up the pedestal. I am pretty confident the internal main water shutoff is located inside the sealed pedestal.

Home Dept stocked the shutoff wrench. I had to buy the manhole cover key tool in Amazon.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

Like I said earlier, ( I know you're busy now), it would be in you're best interest to find that inside cut off valve. If there is none, have a plumber or somebody install one. Heck, I put one in myself using dry ice. You freeze the line coming in, cut a window in the line, and install a valve. Easy Peasy. Plenty of videos on the internet on how to do it. Takes about 1 hr to freeze a line using dry ice. That is the hard way. At least YOU have a curb valve to shut off water....There are no curb valves in New York. This particular house, ( a friend of mine), the builder just forgot to install one. Did it for a case of beer. LOL Finding the dry ice was the biggest problem. You REALLY need an accessible cut off valve indoors in case of an emergency. If it's a lead line, they make lead to copper adapters so you can make a connection without soldering. Not easy soldering lead to copper. You need a lot of lead and wipe it on in layers to make a " sweat ball"

 

[2005jettatdi]

Quick update.

Have a lot of projects ongoing, and Grandsons over for two weeks. Decided to go with the recommendation in this thread to acquire the street cutoff tools. At a later date I will open up the pedestal. I am pretty confident the internal main water shutoff is located inside the sealed pedestal.

Home Dept stocked the shutoff wrench. I had to buy the manhole cover key tool in Amazon.

You are doing the right thing turning it off at the street. I have money to bet it is not in the pedestal. I know you are not going to believe it until you open it to find out. That is fine, it is your house.