How to turn off the water in an apartment completely or partially - this question may become relevant to you in a variety of situations. For example, you have home renovations planned, a fault has been discovered in the system, or you need to replace an old faucet with a new one, or maybe you want to reduce resource costs and install a meter. The procedure and mechanism for its implementation are determined individually for each specific case. In this material we will analyze all the important points and answers to the most common questions.
Who performs the ceiling: the owner of the apartment or a hired plumber
If you want to turn off the water supply only for yourself, then do it using specialized fittings. This is the best option for minor repairs, for example, if you need to change a faucet. As a rule, such cranes are provided in modern new buildings or modified communications of Soviet buildings. In addition, in some residential buildings there are special sensors on the pipes with an internal automated mechanism that are activated when various types of problems are detected.
If you are faced with the need to replace large sanitary equipment, for example, a bathtub, shower stall or toilet, you need to shut off the hot water riser in the apartment (or cold water supply). As a result, the resource will be disabled for several owners at the same time. To achieve this goal, you need to turn a special valve clockwise.
If you live in a multi-storey apartment building of Soviet construction or earlier, there will not be taps of this type in the bathroom. In this case, the solution is to call a qualified specialist from the management company, who will shut off the water supply in the entire entrance. If, during repair work or as a result of a combination of other reasons, a system breakthrough occurs, a foreman must be invited to de-energize the entire building or even several structures if they are connected by utilities.
Tool kit
To carry out high-quality repair work, you need to take care of the following equipment:
- additional crane axle boxes;
- a set of keys;
- glue;
- screwdrivers of different diameters and types;
- several gaskets;
- fum tape or rags for plumbing work;
- electric drill;
- silicone seals.
Almost any person has most of the listed tools. If you don't have them, you can buy them in the store.
How to shut off cold and hot water in an apartment building
The living space receives water resources through a specialized pipeline, which comes out of the floor of the previous floor and crashes into the ceiling of the next. If we are talking about the upper level of the building, here the pipes do not rise to the ceiling. If it is necessary to stop the flow, the flow is closed using a shut-off valve located in the bathroom or toilet. In some situations it may be located in the kitchen.
How to turn off cold and hot water in an apartment (in the toilet)
Since residential buildings are equipped with centralized water supply, utilities include two risers. Most often, ball valves are mounted on them to ensure unhindered shutoff of the flow. If we talk about fittings, most often they have the following sizes: ½ inch, ¾ inch, 1 inch. Please note: if you have installed valves of outdated models, which are already difficult to turn and which do not perform their main functions, you must replace them in a timely manner, without waiting for them to completely exhaust their service life and fail.
To determine which riser is responsible for the warm water supply, you need to compare their heating. The answer to the question of how to turn off the tap and turn off the hot water in an apartment is quite simple; you just need to turn the knob. Another important point is to periodically check the serviceability and condition of the equipment in order to detect problems in time and protect yourself from possible negative consequences.
Note! If there was a shutdown due to reasons related to the activities of the management company, each owner may request a recalculation and receive compensation for the period when residents did not have the opportunity to use water.
Types of valves
To determine the position of the device and find out how the valve opens or closes, you first need to know the type of device installed.
In household systems the following are most often installed:
Valve with ball-shaped locking mechanism
Valve with cylindrical plug
How to shut off the riser with hot or cold water in an apartment with a meter
If you only need to shut down your bathroom, toilet or kitchen, you need to perform a shutdown. We have already found out where the specialized valves are located, which should be turned for this. For uninterrupted water supply, experts recommend installing high-quality foreign-made taps; it is better to choose Italian or German products. Plumbers also recommend saving on sanitary equipment, but choosing reliable and durable elements for utilities.
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Replacing the gasket
Scheme for replacing the gasket in the faucet.
Having found out the main cause of the leak, you can resort to replacing the worn gasket. When the valve stem is tightly closed, the valve will allow water to pass through. The situation is aggravated by the excessive application of force when closing the mixer, which is unacceptable. Such phenomena can be observed when using taps from Soviet manufacturers, the seats of which were poorly milled, as a result of which the valve had to be tightened very tightly.
First, you should shut off the water that drives the flow to the faulty plumbing facility. Before carrying out work, you should still check that the shutdown has been completed completely. The old gasket is removed and a new one is installed. If a situation arises in which this spare part is not in the house, you should not start work with a complete replacement of the entire faucet. This small and important element can be made by yourself from any materials. A piece of leather or rubber is suitable as such a raw material.
Covering the basement riser
In the event of major repair or installation work, it is impossible to do without turning off the supply in the basement. But most often, due to the peculiarities of the organization of heating systems and the confusion of numerous pipeline lines, a problem arises such as finding the right branch. As a solution, you can ask someone at home or a neighbor to knock on the pipe, while you must be in the basement and listen to the sounds in order to find the corresponding branch.
If the equipment is old, a number of problems may arise. Therefore, it is better to protect yourself in advance and shut off the water supply to the entire building. To prevent neighbors from complaining to the management company (MC), it is recommended to carry out the work promptly.
In most cases, basement mechanisms are closed using valves made of pure cast iron. Don't know how to turn off the water in the riser for repairs or installation of plumbing? Turn this element clockwise. If this does not give the desired result, tighten the engines using a gas wrench. When you have tried several options and they all turned out to be unsuccessful, you should contact the Criminal Code to effectively resolve the current situation.
Main Factors
The main reason that caused a plumbing fixture to leak would be:
- gasket wear;
- abrasion of the rod thread, as a result of which the gasket is not tightly connected to the saddle;
- loss of the initial qualities of the cushioning base, complete decay and other reasons.
Tools for changing the gasket in the faucet.
The faulty faucet must be disassembled, after which the indications for leakage should be determined. Whatever the consequences of a malfunctioning plumbing product, the water should first be shut off, and after that you can begin repair work.
If a completely new faucet leaks, we can talk about the presence of a manufacturing defect.
To solve this problem, you can consult a specialist and, if the diagnosis is confirmed, return the mixer to the store.
If similar troubles occur with a ball valve, then a number of problems arise here. Their main reason is associated with the entry of debris into the product body.
On what principles are water pipeline shut-off services provided by management companies?
In order for the deactivation to be carried out by the management company, you must first contact it with a completed application, which is prepared in writing. You can also call by phone and leave a statement to the operator. A few days later, a team will arrive at the address you specified to complete the amount of work. It's better to agree on a date and time in advance so that you can beat them at home and be able to meet them and explain what needs to be done.
Please note that a certain list of services is provided only on a paid basis. For example, if you need to repair equipment located inside the apartment. If breakdowns and problems are caused by defects in common house equipment, then the money spent on restoration and repair will be debited from the account of the entire house.
Possible problems
If we are considering the question of how to shut off the water supply in the bathroom and toilet, it is necessary to immediately list the most common problem situations. This will allow you to protect yourself and protect yourself from negative consequences.
Sticking of the main shut-off valve
Most often, the problem is associated with infrequent use of this element. To solve this, you can first try to loosen the oil seal by unscrewing the clamping nut counterclockwise. Experts do not advise completely unscrewing the nut, because there may be a leak in this place. If the manipulation does not help achieve the desired result, it is better to entrust the matter to professional, experienced specialists and contact a qualified service.
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Water flows along the spindle
If you open the tap, in some cases you can detect a leak from the clamping nut. As a solution, first try tightening the oil seal using a clockwise rotation motion. As a result of a tightly tightened nut, increased pressure is exerted on the mechanism, which causes the part to burst and ultimately leads to its failure. Ultimately, this can lead to difficulties during operation. As a solution, you can consider tightening the nut or completely replacing the stuffing box.
The water does not turn off with the shut-off valve even when closed.
Most likely, the problem is in the gasket, which has already served its purpose and can no longer cope with the assigned tasks. In this situation, it is first of all important to check whether the valve is actually completely closed. Next, you should think about closing the element that is located outside or contacting qualified specialists with experience.
Flow does not resume even when the shut-off mechanism is in the open position
Surely you know how to open the shut-off water in an apartment - you need to turn the shut-off valve. However, in a number of cases the situation is not restored; most often, the reason lies in the fact that the gasket is stuck to the seat, having become detached from the spool. First, try hitting the device to make it fall off on its own. But, most likely, this will not give the desired result and you will have to disassemble the entire element.
A simple solution to the problem
We all know that after a certain time the taps begin to jam. It is enough not to turn the handle for 7-8 months, and problems will already arise. Salts dissolved in water become sour, and the parts of the water tap become rusty.
What do they usually do in such a situation? That's right, turn the valve with pliers. It seems that the more force you apply, the faster the faucet will give way. No. In practice, the handle most often breaks off. The last time I managed to completely tear off the tap. Therefore, when the next jam occurred, I decided to consult a plumber I knew. This is what he advised me:
To resuscitate a soggy faucet, you need to remove the handle. Under it there is a clamping nut that compresses the seal. It is necessary to loosen it a little and twist the rod in different directions (work it out).
How to turn off a shut-off valve located outside
To avoid problems and negative consequences, experts do not recommend performing any manipulations with this element. But in a number of situations that can be classified as emergencies, it may be necessary to dig up the earth around the element to provide access to it.
The device is located at least 75 cm (the indicator directly depends on the region and such an indicator as the freezing depth, for example, in Moscow it varies from 0.8 to 2.5 meters). This dictates the need to use a specialized wrench, which helps reach the flywheel at the level of its location and allows you to quickly turn the tap itself.
How to shut off the water pipe in a sink or other plumbing when using a low pressure pipeline
If the supply is from a house inlet, closing the tap mechanism will stop the flow of the resource. If the flow continues, it means that the liquid comes from a specialized storage tank. You can just wait, because when you turn it off, the capacity will quickly empty. If you have limited time, close the shut-off valve on the pipe itself that comes out of the storage tank. To do this, turn the flywheel clockwise.
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This raises the logical question of where the water in the apartment is shut off in this case. Most often, this is done in the attic of the building, which is where the tank itself is located. In a number of houses, the container is located on the top floors, in built-in closets specially designated for this purpose.
It is important to consider that this type of design is different from the usual one. In Europe, for example, gate valves are used in devices of this type. But recently, they are increasingly being replaced by more modern and efficient disc or ball valves with special handles that rotate 90 degrees.
If your system uses a gate valve, it is likely blocking only the bulk of the water flow and allowing only a small amount of liquid to pass through. This option cannot be called an effective solution. In a number of situations, this fitting does not work at all or works with varying degrees of success. The use of ball elements allows you to forget about a number of problems. To close them, you need to turn the handle ¼ turn so that it takes a perpendicular position relative to the water pipe. When choosing a faucet, make sure that it provides full clearance. Otherwise, after installation, you may experience a reduction in flow.
If searches remain unsuccessful or the installed equipment functions with irregularities and defects, it is better to close the outlet of the storage tank with a special plug. Next, you can lift the lever to stop the water supply to the system. If the reservoir feeds a water supply, draining allows the flow to be stopped.
How to shut off the hot water riser in an apartment with a meter
In this case, it is necessary to be guided by the same principles and rules as when weaning off cold water supply. First you need to go up the circuit and find a shut-off valve. If a shared boiler is used, it will most likely be a quarter turn mechanism that sits directly underneath. The element may be equipped with a lever handle; if it is not there, you need to use a wrench or a specialized screwdriver, with which you can turn the wing 90 degrees.
If the system has a storage tank, the component will be located on a pipe that will feed the tank's accumulator. In this case, the locking fittings are located in the cabinet along with the container, for this reason it may be necessary to go up into the attic. After the hot water supply is stopped, it is necessary to turn off the power supply to the heat source.
After turning off the water supply, it will not flow into the storage tank, and after opening the tap, the liquid will flow for no more than a few minutes until it completely flows out of the pipe of this circuit branch. In this case, the tank itself will remain full, even if there is no supply.
If, after closing the locking mechanism type, liquid stops flowing from it, but it is still visible in some areas, and you want to “cut” into the system parts, you must first drain it using a drain device.
To drain without negative consequences, you must first open the tap at the very base of the tank, and then drain into the external sewer. Please note that flow may be blocked in the lowest section of piping, i.e. below the draw-off element. Keep this in mind when working with pipe systems after draining, because the accumulated liquid will certainly flow until it is completely drained.
So, we have examined in detail an important topic that interests everyone who is planning repairs or has encountered breakdowns. We figured out how to turn off the tap on the pipe, turn off the water in the bathroom and close the valve correctly. Follow the recommendations provided and you will definitely get the desired result! And if you need water purification equipment, then contact us. We will help you choose the right option that will last for many years.
Lubricant to make the task easier
In case the parts are stuck tightly and do not want to turn, lubricant will come in handy. You need to lubricate the clamping nut with it and wait a couple of minutes. It is best to use special silicone grease for these purposes. If it is not there, you can use VD-40.
At the end I will add: before starting to “reanimate” the tap, it is better to turn off the water, if possible. When designing a crane, there is always a risk that it will permanently break. Personally, I do not recommend dealing with old, completely rusted taps, or with cheap Chinese ones. It is better to replace them immediately.
