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Locating Your Water Shut-Off

February 15, 2021/0 Comments/in Home Safety, Homeowner Tools, On-Going Home Maintenance, Winter Home Maintenance/by sherineprice

When temperatures rise above freezing,  a significant number of water plumbing problems will show themselves.  When or if a plumbing problem does show up in your home, you will need to know where the water shut-off to your home is located. Due to the number of problems this deep freeze is going to cause, it might be a while before you can get that repair done.  It is a good idea to get the phone number handy for a local, reputable plumber just in case.

Hopefully you already have an idea of where the water shut-off is located.  If you had your home inspected by Home Run Inspections LLC, you got that information from your inspector at the end of your inspection and also have that information in your inspection report.  If you cannot locate your inspection report or email with the inspection report link, give us a call, and we can re-send that to you.

Possible Locations

Let’s explore some possible locations.  Fortunately, in many modern homes, it is located on the interior of your home.  Better yet, interior water shut-offs typically require no special tools to operate them. Handles are, in older homes, like that on an exterior hose spigot.  Newer interior valves have a handle that you grab and move about 1/4 turn to the right.

Possible Locations:

  • Street Side Meter Vault
  • Garage
  • Laundry/Utility Room
  • Under the Kitchen Sink
  • Under the Bathroom Sink
  • Hallway Closet
  • Front Bedroom Closet

The valve handle may be readily visible, or it may be behind a wooden or plastic door.  These doors are typically located about 12″ above the floor. Although, I have seen them at eye level when the valve is part of what is called a plumbing manifold.

If you have well water, the shut-off valve will be at the well equipment or you can shut water supply off by turning off power to the well head itself.  This breaker is usually located at the electrical panel which is typically located in the garage or on an exterior wall.  It can be located at the well equipment itself if the equipment is in an exterior structure.

Even if you are fortunate enough to have an interior water shut off that you can access from the comfort of your home without a tool,  your main water shut off is typically streetside at the front of your home.  For a lot of home owners, this is the only water shut off available.  To access this vault, you will need a tool referred to as a church key or water meter vault key.

Tools Needed

The top of this very cool tool looks similar to a flag and is the part that is used to open the lid.  Simply insert and turn. Sometimes you can just lift it off.  Others will require a little finesse to get the mechanism to release the lid.  The U-shaped attachment at the end of the tool. is used to turn the valve at the bottom of the vault.  Fit the attachment on the top of the valve. Then, using the top handles, turn the valve (typically to the right) until you feel a stop.  You should leave a faucet or tub running before going to turn this valve off.  This will allow you to see the meter running at the beginning and then to see it stop when you have successfully closed the valve.

Of course, this process may be above the scope of what you or any member of your household may be able to accomplish.  In that case, call your local water company, advise them of the problem, and they will have someone come out to shut off the water for you.

Hopefully you have found this article helpful.  If so, be sure and share it with friends and family that may find it helpful as well.  At Home Run Inspections LLC, we understand that owning a home is a big responsibility. We do our best at every inspection to help our clients better understand not only any problems that the home may currently have, but also how to manage problems that will likely occur while they enjoy life in the home they have chosen.

At Home Run Inspections we make it easy to get your inspections done. Schedule your inspection online today!

Home Run Inspections, LLC

Oklahoma:  405-905-9175

Info@HomeRunInspections.com

We Cover All the Bases!

Serving the Oklahoma City metro and surrounding areas including Edmond, Yukon, Piedmont, Bethany, El Reno, Tuttle, Mustang, Moore, Norman, Midwest City, Del City, Choctaw, McCloud, Shawnee, Harrah, Newalla, Jones, and more.

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Frozen Plumbing Pipes

February 9, 2021/0 Comments/in Home Safety, Homeowner Tools, Winter Home Maintenance/by sherineprice

Protecting your home from frozen plumbing pipes will save you a lot of money, time and trouble. Winter often means freezing temperatures, unless you live in south Florida. A real “cold snap” can mean outdoor temps will remain below freezing for up to 2 weeks. Wind chill can drop temps to as low as 20 below zero in some areas. Vulnerable plumbing (even in homes or buildings that have never experienced problems), can experience frozen plumbing pipes.

Extra precautions should be taken if you are in an older home. This is especially important if you have a crawlspace. Owners of newer homes or buildings must also be careful not to leave a water hoses attached to their exterior faucets.  They should be covered with some form of insulation as well, particularly if they are on the North side of the home.

Precautions to Take: Exterior

There are a few things you can do to reduce the chance of having frozen plumbing pipes:

  • Disconnect  all exterior water hoses attached to faucets and install an insulated cover over it to help protect it. Pre-made exterior spigot covers are generally readily available and cheap at your nearest hardware store. In a pinch, a towel wrapped around the spigot and secured with duct tape or some type of strap.
  • Cover any open crawlspace vents. Vent Covers are inexpensive and easily installed by the home owner.

Precautions to Take: Interior

  • Set you’re faucets to run at a slow drip. It’s not necessary to turn on all the faucets in your home. Focus on the ones closest to exterior walls. Leave these few faucets on during especially bitterly cold weather. Running water, even a small trickle, can make all the difference.
  • Moving water produces a small amount of heat and is harder to freeze than standing water. Leaving a few faucets running will help prevent ice blockages from forming in your plumbing. Running faucets also relieves pressure build up in cold pipes. This helps to keep your pipes from bursting, even if the water inside freezes.
  • If both hot and cold water lines are exposed, leave both slightly running to make sure pressure doesn’t build up in one and not the other.
  • Use a space heater in the garage or other areas where there is plumbing with no heat source, especially plumbing near exterior walls.
  • Lastly, for good measure, open all the cabinet doors where any plumbing is located to get warm air in there. Again, this is especially important on plumbing near exterior walls.

Cold spells can spell “big bucks” for the plumbing professionals.  I’m all for keeping the small business man in business but, there’s no need to spend that money until you have to, right?  So take a few minutes to get a plan in place to reduce your risk of unnecessary repair costs, and share this article with someone you know that should do the same

Home Run Inspections, LLC

Oklahoma:  405-905-9175

Info@HomeRunInspections.com

We Cover All the Bases!

Serving the Oklahoma City metro and surrounding areas including Edmond, Yukon, Piedmont, Bethany, El Reno, Tuttle, Mustang, Moore, Norman, Midwest City, Del City, Choctaw, McCloud, Shawnee, Harrah, Newalla, Jones, and more.

Schedule Your Inspections Online at:

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Dryer Vent

February 4, 2021/0 Comments/in Home Inspections, Home Safety, Homeowner Tools, On-Going Home Maintenance/by sherineprice

A home encases a variety of systems.  

These systems, by their very nature and design, require regular maintenance.  At Home Run Inspections, LLC, we do our best to educate our clients about the home and the systems they will need to attend to over time:  where the dryer vent is located, where the breaker panel is located, where the sewer clean out is located, for example.

The Dryer Vent

One of the most utilized and arguably most ignored systems in a home, is the dryer exhaust vent.  Depending upon how many people live in a home, this vent is utilized weekly and often several times weekly (if not daily).As a home inspector in Oklahoma City and completing over 100o inspections personally and overseeing over 4000 as a company, I can confidently tell you most dryer vents we inspect have problems.  We have a long list of potential recommendations based on the training we gain as home inspectors, but more importantly, from experience.  Issues range from the most common, a disconnected exhaust pipe in the attic or crawlspace or a missing dryer exhaust, to the more difficult to identify as in difficult to observe obstructions or incorrect vent discharge point.

All of our reports tell you about your dryer vent, what it is composed of and where it discharges.  Our home inspectors like to take a picture of the discharge point, along with an up-view of the vent to identify blockages or missing parts.

Most Common Issue

By far, the most common recommendation is to clear blockages.  I’ve read in more than one place that obstructed dryer vents are one of the most common starting points for residential home fires.

One of the cooler aspects about our jobs as home inspectors in Oklahoma City is discovering innovative ways to deal with common home system problems.  These upgrades often come in the form of a new product offered by service companies, but they often may be a resolution created by the home owner.

Innovative Practices

The above photos show an ingenious way to slow the accumulation of lint in the dryer vent pipe.  A common problem for a typical home concerns the vent pipe.  Hot moist air is carried through the cool, unconditioned space(the attic) during the winter.  This can cause build up of lint as condensation on the inside of the pipe.

I’ve also seen a booster fan mechanism that you can insert in the pipe to help move the moist air to the discharge point more quickly and presumably reducing problems.

Which brings us to one of the most important aspects of the dryer vent system; the exhaust vent exterior.

Exhaust Point

This is a point that also often experiences a collection of moist lint over time, and thus an obstruction. This point is often at the roof. It can also be other locations such as an exterior wall, roof soffit, or even the crawlspace.

As you can see, out of sight out of mind does not always end well.  Moisture and lint in the attic or crawlspace is a no-no. Exhausted air should always discharge to the exterior.

Take a look at our Report process for insights on how we really go the extra mile to tell you all about your potential purchase.

Keep us in mind when you or someone you know needs a residential or commercial property inspection. Scheduling is a breeze on our website 24/7 in the Oklahoma City Metro or Florida Panhandle.

We look forward to exceeding your expectations while we Cover all the Bases!

Home Run Inspections, LLC

Oklahoma:  405-905-9175

Info@HomeRunInspections.com

We Cover All the Bases!

Serving the Oklahoma City metro and surrounding areas including Edmond, Yukon, Piedmont, Bethany, El Reno, Tuttle, Mustang, Moore, Norman, Midwest City, Del City, Choctaw, McCloud, Shawnee, Harrah, Newalla, Jones, and more.

Schedule Your Inspections Online at:

Schedule Your Inspection Today

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