Light snowfall at Incline Pines on Thursday reminds us that winter is quickly approaching. The overnight low temperatures this week are in the mid-20s.
Every unit should offer easy access to a whole-house water shutoff valve– and everyone should get into the habit of using it when they’ll be away from their mountain home for more than a day or two.
The original valve may have been hidden or difficult to operate, like the one pictured above. It’s relatively easy to add a quarter-turn ball valve within convenient reach. Copper pipe and solderless connections make this a simple job for a plumber or even a DIYer.
The manual valve pictured above has recently been replaced with a motorized valve, allowing the homeowner to operate the valve remotely– and to verify that it has been closed after guests leave.
$90 motorized wifi-enabled valve from Amazon
Keep in mind it’s always a good practice to shut off the water to your home when you’ll be gone for awhile– and not just in winter. When the main water supply is on, there’s still full pressure to the toilet and washing machine supply lines. One burst supply line could run unnoticed for days, leading to catastrophic flooding of your home.
As they say, an ounce of prevention…