"Dick" LeadWinger wrote in message
...
On Sun, 15 May 2005 13:22:51 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski"
wrote:


"JimL" wrote in message
None of the 5000 homes in my division have shutfoff valves except at
the street water meter. 1980 to 2005.

Many of the communities require calling the city utility company to
shut off the water. Then they started charging a fee, so lots of
people like yourself installed their own shutoff.

I just cannot imagine NOT having one when an emergency problem arises.
The
cost of installing one when the house was build would probably have been
$20
or so. That puts $100,000 in the hands of the builder. You can be sure
I'd
put one in.


I don't see it as any big deal. I bought a long sprinkler shut-off
tool from Home Depot. If I need to turn off the water, I just pop off
the meter box cover near the street and turn the water off. Would
take me just as long if the shut-off were next to the house.

Call your local water company and find out who would be required to pay the
cost of repairs if the valve at the street broke while you were turning it
off or on.

The local plumbers will not even touch that valve unless it's an absolute
emergency and I agree in writing to pay the cost, instead of them, if
something happens with that valve when they're working with it. They makes
an appointment with the city water department to turn the water off and on.
The city water department also recommends this procedure on each month's
water bill.