Condo. Main shut off. A screw?

[Aaron18]

I went over to a friends condo to repair a leaking faucet. No under sink shut off valve.

Couldn't find main shut off.

Under the sink there is a copper pipe sticking out horizontally about 4 or 5 inches. I shined a flashlight down it and there is a slotted screw at the end. My friend 'thinks' this may be where it was shut off before.

Naive question but I don't want to break anything or start a flood I can't stop.

Do I simply stick a slotted screwdriver down the copper pipe and turn the screw to the left? This will shut off water to the condo? Is it normal for there not to be a valve to hand turn off? I'd guess the building was built in the mid 70's or so.

Thanks so much

 

[Terry]

I would talk to someone there that was worked on plumbing. What you describe is a bit strange.
If you can turn it with a screwdriver without much effort then it may be worth trying. Just don't muscle it.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

If it is a shutoff, I suspect turning right (CW) would be off.

 

[hj]

It may be "normal" if every faucet has its own shutoff valve. But, a "main shutoff" would not normally be one with a screwdriver slot on it.

 

[Aaron18]

Thanks, I'll go back and give it a try.

What I've learned reading this site is simple measures save a lot of future issues. It's not that things won't go wrong but when they do that proper installation of plumbing makes repairs so much easier.

 

[hj]

"proper installation" has a price, and many builders prefer to do it the "quick and dirty" way, which is also cheaper. They only worry about the next one year or so, NOT the 'future issues".

 

[JayAre1990]

Im in Alberta and what you described is pretty common in apartments and hotels. Usually theres two valves like you described with either a slot head or a square that you use a key to turn off the hot and cold water to the unit. The issue with the slotted head valves is that when they're really old you usually end up breaking the slot in them because they're so hard to turn.