Is this valve open or closed?


Sunday21
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Is this valve open or closed?  

8 members have voted

  1. 1. This valve shuts off the water to an external garden hose. Do you think that this valve is open or closed?



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Dear Smart People,

This is a valve situated inside my house that turns the water on/off to an exterior garden hose. First position: As per the photo. The handle is currently as far clockwise as it will go.

Second position: If you turn the valve counter clockwise, the second position occurs when the valve lines up so that it is vertical as is the blue pipe. 

So what do you think? Is the valve in the photo open or closed? Do you happen to know what this type of valve is called?

Once we work this out, I will label the pipe! I think that the kind and industrious couple who used to own this house missed this pipe because every other pipe in the house is carefully labelled!

Many thanks!

 

0442ACAD-D1A4-4C77-B3FD-6D97425A11F0.jpeg

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4 hours ago, Iggy said:

It is a ball valve and it is closed. Open would be the handle following the flow of whatever it is containing. That blue tubing looks like what was used in Manufactured homes for water.

Thank you @Iggy! Now that you explain this makes perfect sense! 

Edited by Sunday21
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3 hours ago, Sunday21 said:

Thank you @Iggy! Now that you explain this makes perfect sense! 

You are welcome @Sunday21. My home is a 1993 double wide manufactured. ALL of the water pipes were of that crappy blue tubing. In March of 2011, 4 months after we moved in, we had the piping changed out in the two bathroom toilets, the master bathroom sink and the kitchen sink. In 2012 we had to have the hall way bathroom sink water lines changed out when the cold water valve sheared off and flooded the bathroom and over half of the carpeted hallway. In 2016 our landowner [he owns the lot we rent and he supplies us with our water] refused to turn on the outdoor water taps. No way was I going to haul water from the bathroom out to the $350.00+ worth of flowers and vegetables I had just purchased and planted, so we hired a company to come out and put in outdoor taps coming off of our main water coming into the house.

When the guy got under there he told us that over half of the water pipes were CPVC and the rest the crappy blue tubing. He didn't have to recommend us removing the blue tubing. Now the entire water lines are CPVC. AND they are all insulated with foam noodles rated for zero degree weather, along with removing all of the tubing in the rest of the house to CPVC.. To do all of this it cost us over $1500.00 ~ but it was WELL worth it. At the plumbers suggestion, we have our Easy Access (my label) Shut Off Valve to the outside taps right next to our hot water heater that is housed between the laundry room and kitchen.

 

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@Sunday21

A couple of notes:  You indicated that this is to an outside garden hose.  The copper elbow just above the valve has blue and white.  This is a characteristic  of a poor solder joint.   I agree with @Iggy that the blue plastic pipe ought to be replaced.  I am concerned that your plumbing is loose and supported only by the piping - also there are stables that will cause corrosion if they ever even touch your copper plumbing.  You may want to think about anchoring and protecting your plumbing.  Your picture does not indicate the condition of your plumbing to your outside water faucet.  That needs to be caulked and sealed.  If you winterize your outside faucet make sure you drain the water (relieve the pressure) from you interior valve to your outside faucet.  This can be done by opening your valve with your hose detached.  You may also think about some insolation to maintain heat in winter and cool in summer inside your house.  

 

The Traveler

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Everything looks fine to me.  Valve is off.  I assume the PEX goes to your supply and the copper goes through the wall.  Depending on where you live I'd shut that off in winter.  Maybe install an anti-freeze faucet.  Solder job is rough and looks like there is some extra flux there.  

Did you have a specific issue you were concerned with?

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53 minutes ago, Grunt said:

Everything looks fine to me.  Valve is off.  I assume the PEX goes to your supply and the copper goes through the wall.  Depending on where you live I'd shut that off in winter.  Maybe install an anti-freeze faucet.  Solder job is rough and looks like there is some extra flux there.  

Did you have a specific issue you were concerned with?

@Grunt Thanks for your comment! I did not know if the valve was letting water out or if the valve was turned off! 

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19 hours ago, Sunday21 said:

Dear Smart People,

This is a valve situated inside my house that turns the water on/off to an exterior garden hose. First position: As per the photo. The handle is currently as far clockwise as it will go.

Second position: If you turn the valve counter clockwise, the second position occurs when the valve lines up so that it is vertical as is the blue pipe. 

So what do you think? Is the valve in the photo open or closed? Do you happen to know what this type of valve is called?

Once we work this out, I will label the pipe! I think that the kind and industrious couple who used to own this house missed this pipe because every other pipe in the house is carefully labelled!

Many thanks!

 

0442ACAD-D1A4-4C77-B3FD-6D97425A11F0.jpeg

Remember it this way: Generally speaking, valve handles "point" in the direction that they allow flow. So a valve handle pointed along a pipe shows that it allows water to flow along the pipe (i.e. the valve is open), while a valve handle pointing across the pipe "allows" water to "flow" across the pipe—in effect, it stops water flow (i.e. the valve is closed).

Edited by Vort
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