Two different houses, in the same week recently, were found to have leaks in the main water shut-off for the house. This is, too often, an undetected situation for home buyers and home owners because the main water supply shut-off is not something that you look at regularly. And it's certainly not something you will check when you're looking at the house. You're too busy deciding what furniture could go where and who might use which room for various purposes. This is just another reason to have the house you're looking to buy thoroughly inspected by Complete Home Inspection.
The house's main water shut-off valve is usually in an out-of-the-way location and "out of sight, out of mind" really applies here. So, a leaky valve will just drip, drip, drip unnoticed for a long time, causing water damage to the house and to any items stored near the shut-off.
Many original shut-off valves are "gate" valves that have a circular handle that needs to be completely turned several times to open and close the valve. As these valves age, they become less effective. And, as they age, they reach a point where just opening and closing the valve creates leaks. Gate valves, whether they're leaking or not, should be replaced with a "ball" valve that opens or closes with just a quarter of a turn of the handle lever. A ball valve also allows you to open or close the valve much more quickly in the event of an emergency.
Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.
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