How To Turn The Water Off at the Road

Sometimes owning a home isn't fun. For instance, when you get a call at work from your lovely guy saying, "I dreamt I lived next to a babbling brook, but when I woke up, I could still hear the brook..." This type of statement could cause you to A.) throw up or B.) wet yourself, or possibly both. (Thankfully, I did neither, but both crossed my mind.) It is not natural to hear a rushing river under your house- so congratulations- you've got a busted pipe. Now, let's suppose your awesome plumber is called in a panic and he says, "I'm on a job, but I'll be there as soon as I can." Fantastic! But what to do in the mean time? As visions of driving down your street trying to find your home as a nosey neighbor flags you down yelling, "It went that-a-way!" cloud your normally lucid thoughts, you do what any 33 year old kid does- you call Dad. "Busted pipe! How do I turn the water off!?!!?"

In newer homes, there's a shut off valve somewhere on the house. Go to it and turn it off. But, if your house was new over a century ago, as was mine, you may not have that little convenience. You may have to turn it off at the road. In my case, up the front path, on the sidewalk, under a small but heavy metal cover is the main shut off. You simply slide a screwdriver in the small hole to lift off the cover. Now you should be able to see a valve with little slots. The problem is, a simple wrench isn't getting that sucker to budge. What you need is a water meter key. It's about 2.5 feet long and shaped like a T. The long end of the T fits on the valve (the bottom of the T is shaped like a U- that fits the slots on the valve). Turn the top of the T 90 degrees and Voila! No more river sounds under the house! You have minimalized the damage until your saintly plumber arrives to save the day.

In my case, my awesome Dad, a realtor by trade, happens to carry one around in his car trunk during the winter. But you can get one here http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/b--k-water-meter-key-12-x-30-long-p-33019.html?ref=42 for less than $10. Don't call my Dad. He's got enough to do.