# proper water shut off in condo



## mrsirmrman (Jul 2, 2010)

Hi!
I need to fix a leaky shower faucet in my unit. I've done this type of repair before at my old home with no problems. My concern is with the other condo units. It looks like 2 or 3 units share a single water shut off valve. How should I propely go about shutting the water supply off and turning it back on safely? Here is some info on how we are set up:

ground floor is all garages and also the location of the shut off valve
1st floor is my unit and 2 others side by side (im on the end)
2nd floor is another row of 3 units.

im almost positive each of the 3 shut off valves cuts off water supply to the 2 units directly above it vertically (ie: my unit and the one above me)

Thanks for any input
(of course, i plan on letting everyone know i will be shutting off the water supply for a few hours out of a day)


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## LateralConcepts (Jun 6, 2010)

I'm assuming you own the condo. Is there an HOA or Maintenance team that handles turning off the water typically? If you don't have a shut off designated for your unit only, I would be hesitant to shut the water off to the whole building. Could lead to problems with your neighbors. i.e clogged cartridges, aerators, etc. Letting them know you're turning it off temporarily is one thing, but if/when they have a problem; suddenly it's your fault. Are you sure you don't have your own shut off? In a closet maybe? In the wall near the water heater?


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## mrsirmrman (Jul 2, 2010)

Correct, I own the unit. I was advised by the HOA (the complex is very small... only 9 units total) to let the tenants know the water would be shut off temporarily and that was about it. But the situation you described is exactly what I would like to avoid. I have looked everywhere for another shut off to just my unit but there is none to be found


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

It is not unusual to have to turn off the water to several units to make a repair in one unit.

The homeowners' association will want to see the repair done as quickly as possible since (almost always) water supplied to several units from one shutoff is not metered individually for each resident. The water bill is therefore shared by everybody. So it is in everybody's inteerest to get it fixed quickly.

Once residents are notified of a water shutoof, it is up to them to object to the date and time, or to make plans to deal with the lack of water.


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