Water Emergencies
Disruptions in water service are rare, but they can happen, especially during winter when cold weather can freeze pipes. There also may be times when SUB will need to turn off your water service temporarily to conduct repairs or system upgrades. This section will help make sure you are prepared if a water emergency occurs:
If your pipes are leaking for any reason or if they have broken due to freezing, you need to shut off the water supply to your house.
Before there's an emergency, find and clearly mark the master shut-off valve in your home and make sure everyone in your family knows where it is.
To find the home’s master shut-off valve, look near your clothes washer hook-up, near your water heater, or at the property side of your water meter. The most common master valve looks like a round wheel attached to a larger pipe. Turn the wheel valve clockwise to shut the water off, counter-clockwise to turn it back on again.
Most homes have SUB-owned valves inside the meter box. These valves have a rectangular knob rather than a wheel valve. The arrow on top of the knob points toward your house when the water is on. A half-turn to the right with a t-wrench turns your water off. If you don't have a t-wrench, use a crescent wrench with a screwdriver inserted through the hole in the handle. If the valve is not turning after applying moderate pressure, DO NOT FORCE THE VALVE.
Note: Not all homes have a master shut-off valve. If your home is lacking this valve, call a qualified plumber to have one installed. In the event of an emergency, it could save you time, money, and can protect your belongings.
If you can't find your shut-off valve, or are having trouble turning it off, call SUB’s water department at 726-2397 and someone will come out during regular working hours to help you at no charge.
Once you've shut off the water, switch off the water heater circuit breaker to prevent the heating elements from being damaged. Leave your water off until repairs can be completed or until the leaking or broken area can be isolated from the rest of your water system.
When the cold weather hits, pipes can freeze, causing thousands of dollars of damage. If your water pipes freeze, SUB recommends that you call a plumber. Without experience, it's dangerous to try to unfreeze pipes yourself.
What to do
If a plumber is not available, here are some helpful hints:
- Use "heat tape," available from local hardware stores.
- Pour hot water on the pipes.
- Wrap rags around the pipes and pour hot water on the rags.
Preventing Frozen Pipes
The best cure for frozen pipes is prevention. Follow these basic steps:
- Wrap your hot and cold water pipes with at least two inches of insulation or with insulation tape specifically designed for pipes.
- Disconnect hoses from outside faucets. Protect faucets by wrapping newspaper or insulation around them or by installing specialized faucet insulators, available at most hardware stores.
- Drain sprinkler systems.
- If you're worried about pipes freezing overnight or while you're away from home, leave a small trickle of cold water running in faucets both inside and out, furthest from the meter. This is most important for pipes that run along an outside wall. The trickle needs to be a steady stream that's the approximate diameter of a standard pencil lead. Also, leave cabinet doors open in front of pipes to expose them to the heated interior of your home.
A dripping faucet or a toilet that runs can waste significant amounts of water, and in less time that you may think.
Consider: A faucet that drips just once every second wastes 168 gallons of water a month. And a toilet leak can waste up to 200 gallons per day!
Fixing leaks saves you money, and helps conserve our natural water resource. Following is information that can help you identify and fix leaks:
How to check for a leak
Choose a time when everyone in your house will be gone for a significant period of time. Several days is ideal, but a good eight to 10 hour stretch is good, too. Make sure automatic sprinklers and ice makers are turned off. Then, just before you leave, take a reading off your water meter and write that number down. When you return, before anyone has a chance to run any water, check the meter again. If it has moved, you may have a water leak. Here are the likely culprits:
Faucet leaks
A sheet of paper left under a faucet overnight will indicate a leak there. Remember to check tub and shower faucets, as well as sinks. Also, check pipes under the sink for signs of dampness, and check your outdoor faucets as well. If you’re handy, you can probably fix the leak yourself. Just download the following brochure for more information. Otherwise, a qualified plumber can help you.
How to fix your leaky sink faucet (pdf)
How to repair your tub and shower faucet (pdf)
Toilet leaks
Add a dozen drops of food coloring to the tank. If the color shows up in the bowl, or if it has disappeared from the tank after a few hours, you have a leak. Download the following brochure if you’d like to try to troubleshoot the problem yourself, or call a qualified plumber.
How to fix the most common toilet leaks (pdf)
Irrigation leaks
First, check all sprinkler heads to make sure they are not cracked, broken or obviously leaking. Then, check for areas where water is pooling or that stays wet and soggy after the rest of the area has dried. If pipes run under those areas, you may have a leak.
- Beforehand, draw water for household use into your bathtub, buckets, and drinking water containers. (You can use water from buckets to manually flush your toilets.)
- Turn off the circuit breaker that controls your water heater.
- During the shut-down, keep all faucets closed and do not attempt to draw water from your faucets. This will help prevent damage to your plumbing.
- After your water comes back on, turn on your outside water faucets until the water runs clear. Don't draw drinking water or wash clothes until the water coming out of your faucets is clear and flowing under regular pressure.