Water shut off in condo

[Samdavis]

Hi, I need to replace the mixer valve on my shower and am having trouble finding the shut off valve. Before I call the hoa to see what they say, I remembered that I have shut off valves on both pipes going to my water heater. Now if I close both of these valves will that turn off the water to the unit? I included a photo of the pipes going to the heater, thanks.

 

[CountryBumkin]

Those shutoff valves on the heater's lines only to shut off the water going into the water heater (like for replacing the heater). They will not stop the water flow to your Shower. Some mixing valves have built in Shutoff valves. If you can remove the large trim plate behind the knob (assuming you have this style) so you can see the valve, you could see if you have these built in shutoffs.

But you really should go the HOA and find out where you Condo unit's main shutoff is.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Standardairconditioner]

I'd think the neighbors in your building will know better than anyone that can only see one tiny picture of just a water heater.

But if you supply detailed blueprints of the condo that include the layout of the water supplies, perhaps we can guess for you.

 

[hj]

If it was an apartment complex converted to condos, then they seldom have shutoffs for the individual units.

 

[Samdavis]

Thanks for the responses. I called the hoa and they told me where the shut offs were, and of course nothing was there. I also asked a neighbor and he said he had to turn his water off at the street. His plumber did it with a special tool. So I'll call the hoa again and see if they can give me more info.

 

[Jadnashua]

FWIW, in many places, on a multifamily dwelling, it is illegal to do anything regarding plumbing without a license...I know that is the case where I live. While a homeowner in a single family home can pull a permit and do work himself, that is not possible (at least legally) in a typical condo, so keep that in mind...if something goes wrong, you could be in for some real trouble!

Have you taken the suggestion of removing the escutcheon plate and seeing if there are shutoffs for the shower valve? If there are, they may or may no longer work, but sometimes, you get lucky! Even if you do have an individual shutoff, there's no guarantee it will actually work. Your best chance would be if it were a ball valve, and the odds go way down if it's a globe valve.

 

[hj]

He said he wanted to "replace the shower valve", and if so "individual integral shutoffs" on the valve would be completely useless for his needs.

 

[Reach4]

I suspect it would be more efficient if the condo had a plumber install shut off valves to each unit. Every user would benefit eventually.

 

[Terry]

I suspect it would be more efficient if the condo had a plumber install shut off valves to each unit. Every user would benefit eventually.

After the fact that is nearly impossible. We used to plumb entire buildings with only one shutoff. It was in the 70's when I took it upon myself to install individual shutoffs in a condo I was plumbing. It wasn't part of the spec. The piping is routed entirely different.
I did recently see one condo that has shutoffs on the first floor for each "stack". But even that would only work if you could figure out the original layout.

 

[Samdavis]

My shower was only putting out cold water, and after some internet research I suspected the "mixer valve". After watching some youtube videos it looked like an easy fix, provided I could shut off my water! I called the hoa and they are clueless. In my research I saw some mixer valves or cartridges that had little shut offs close to them. I can't see any on mine. I can't see much of the pipe. It's a Kohler faucet, I'll post a picture. Well I'll keep on my quest to get this water off, it really is something that I need to know in case of an emergency. Oh and my shower started putting out hot water again, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time.....

 

[Standardairconditioner]

Well I'll keep on my quest to get this water off, it really is something that I need to know in case of an emergency.

A local plumber with experience will be able to find the shutoff.

You may want to plan, budget, and schedule to have ball valve shutoffs installed at all your supplies. That way you won't ever have to use the main shutoff for the entire building.

Sinks and toilet are easy because none of them are in the walls. You may need to create an access panel on the opposite side of your shower to get one there.

Or you can wait until there's an unannounced crisis that will cost you 3x times more.