Your Plumbing

Your plumbing includes all of the pipes and fixtures on your property, from the meter or valve near the street to the faucets inside your home. Here are a few important components to be familiar with:

Main Water Valve

This valve is normally located where the water line enters your home through the foundation. It can be used to shut the water off in an emergency or when plumbing improvements are being made. It can also be turned off while the property is vacant to prevent water damage that unforeseen leaks might cause. To make sure this valve works properly, turn it off and verify that the water flow to your fixtures has stopped completely. When the valve is turned back on, it should be opened fully to allow unrestricted water flow.

Pressure Reducing Valve

Most houses built after 1972 are equipped with a pressure reducing valve (PRV), which is normally located near the main water valve. PRVs are usually bell-shaped devices, approximately 4" in length, that are designed to keep the water pressure inside your home from exceeding a set limit. This helps prevents "knocking" in pipes and other stresses caused by high pressure.

Water Service Lateral

This is the pipe that runs underground from the meter or valve near the street to the main water valve inside the house. It is typically made of copper, plastic, or sections of both.

Unlike the components above, water meters and their settings are owned and maintained by the Fairfax County Water Authority. Most houses built between 1971 and 1980 are equipped with an inside water meter, which is connected to a remote register on the exterior of the house. In the case of an inside meter setting the Authority only maintains the water meter and remote reader. Other meters are located near the edge of the property in a small pit covered by a cast iron lid. It is helpful to keep plants, shrubs, and trees trimmed away from our meters and registers to allow us to read and maintain them.

TIPS FOR WINTERIZING YOUR PLUMBING

• Shut off and drain the pipes leading to your outside faucets. Using the valves located inside your home, make sure no water is left to freeze, expand, and cause a leak in these lines. 

• Know the location of  your main shut off valve. Minimize the potential for water damage by ensuring that everyone in the household knows how to shut off the water in an emergency.

• Insulate pipes in unheated spaces. Hardware or building supply stores carry insulation designed to keep pipes in these areas from freezing.