Know Your Emergency Shut-Off Valves

Do you know what to do in case of a plumbing emergency? The truth is, a lot of people don’t, but malfunctions can happen even in the best plumbing systems. If something starts leaking or breaks, and you don’t know how to turn off the water, you could have a disastrous flood on your hands.

In this post, we will show you how to locate the most important emergency water shut-off valves in your home, and how to use them.

The most important valve you need to be aware of is the main shutoff valve. This is the valve that will stop most plumbing catastrophes, like a burst pipe. It controls all water supply into the house. It is located either in the basement, or on an outside wall in a utility area. It is extremely important for you to know the location of your house’s main shut-off valve.

There are a couple different types of shutoff valves, but regardless of the type of valve you have, you’ll need to turn it clockwise to turn it off.

Here’s another thing you need to be aware of: Some valves become more and more difficult to turn when they haven’t been turned in a long time, so if you haven’t touched your house’s main shutoff valve since you moved in, try and turn it now before you get caught in an emergency situation. Finding out the valve can’t be turned with your bare hands is something you want to discover when you’re not standing in 6 inches of floodwater. 

Every fixture has its own individual water supply shut-off valves too. These valves are usually located on the wall beneath the fixture, like under sinks and near toilets. If you’re wanting to repair or install a new fixture, or the fixture starts leaking, simply turn these valves clockwise to turn off the flow of water to the fixture. Fixtures that use both cold and hot water (like sinks) have 2 of these valves, and cold-water-only fixtures (like toilets) have 1 valve.

Don’t get caught unprepared in an emergency; find your home’s shutoff valves today. If you have trouble finding the main shutoff valve, or if any of your valves or fixtures are giving you problems, call Universal Plumbing at 586-459-0040 and we will gladly help you!

Meet Our Sponsor Kids!

If you’ve been following us on social media for a while, you may remember us posting about our Compassion International sponsor kids a handful of times. Writing letters back and forth with our sponsor kids is one of my favorite parts of my job here at Universal Plumbing, and I’d love to tell you a bit more about it.

Compassion partners with local churches in impoverished areas of the world, and they work to stop the cycle of poverty by coming alongside the children in the community. When a child is sponsored through Compassion, they receive an education, nutritious meals, medical care, security, and much more. Many kids who have completed the Compassion program have gone on to graduate college, attain salaried employment, and become leaders in their communities.

Needless to say, this is an exciting cause that we are happy to contribute to! We currently sponsor 3 children through Compassion. Let me introduce you to these amazing kids!

Jose

Jose, our oldest sponsor child, is 12 years old and lives in El Salvador. His favorite subject in school is math, and he dreams of becoming a lawyer one day, which I totally believe he will do because he studies so hard. He talks often about his love for soccer and playing in tournaments with his friends. He enjoys helping his mom around the house and keeping things clean. What a sweet kid! We’re so proud of him and all he is accomplishing already.

Pablo

Pablo is 8 years old and also lives in El Salvador. He just recently learned how to write and has been writing his own letters to us lately; previously, he would have a third person write his letters for him. He enjoys going to the beach, playing soccer, and riding his bike. In school, he is making new friends and learning about health, math, and literature, which is his favorite subject.

Writing letters back and forth with Pablo is always fun. One of my favorite letters from him said “I like to spend time with my friends and I will help the giraffe to finds the way,” and I’m not sure how much of that was just a funny translation, but I always get a kick out of it. Another favorite was when he explained that his favorite thing to do at home is sleep. Me too, Pablo. :)

Marvens

We just recently started sponsoring Marvens, so we haven’t had a chance to get to know him much yet. We do know that he is 5 years old and lives in Haiti, and he enjoys playing with marbles and spending time with his friends. I’m excited to receive our first letter from Marvens, whenever that may be.

I hope you enjoyed reading a little about these awesome kids. We love being able to contribute to their development and give them hope every day. If you'd like to hear about our sponsor kids more often, leave a comment and let us know!

If you’d like to consider sponsoring a child through Compassion, click here to visit Compassion’s website and read more about the program. I would highly recommend becoming a sponsor; it’s an easy and fulfilling way to make a real difference in someone’s life!