Main water Shut Off

[M F]

Hello,
Here is a picture to the water valve shutoff for my house:
https://imgur.com/AhbTqfw
I need to turn the main water valve off and I can't seem to be able to locate it. I turned the screw pointed to by the green arrow until it was all the way against the pipe. When I initially approached the valve it was opened about 5 turns. What does this screw do? The other possibility is that the red arrow is the shutoff valve. It's curious that the red handle is disconnected from the valve and is on the floor. Do I need to reattach it? Could someone help point me in the right direction. Thanks for helping a beginner!

 

[JerryR]

The green arrow is pointing to a PRV Pressure Reducing Valve. I reduced the water pressure delivered at the street to the house. Many times street pressure can exceed 100 psi. Normal pressure to your house should be adjusted to around 50 psi.

Can’t tell from the picture what the red arrow points to. It’s possibly the water shut off.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Terry]

The more recent PRV's I'm using are factory set now for 60 pounds. I had always manually done that in the past.

 

[MACPLUMB]

yes put the red handle back on and screw it tight, otherwise call your water provider and have them turn off at street,then after the meter
install a new ball valve, then go from their, you have a very old system so expect trouble, you might want to have a Lic.Plumber do this

 

[DIYorBust]

Green arrow is pointed at a pressure reducing valve as others have said, this device will not shut off your water. The red arrow points to a shutoff valve. The handle has been removed, and this is suggestive of a problem with that valve but it's worth a try. You can actuate the valve with channel locks if you can't find or reattach the handle. There's a chance you can shut off your supply from valve outside the house and replace or rebuild your interior shutoff, but this would be a fairly advanced DIY job and not a good idea for someone with who is not familiar with a PRV. So if the red arrow valve doesn't do the job it's probably time to call a plumber. Request a ball valve, and it's not a bad idea to put a second shutoff after the meter. Hopefully the red arrow valve works. Good luck!

 

[Mliu]

It's curious that the red handle is disconnected from the valve and is on the floor. Do I need to reattach it?

Yes, your red arrow is pointing to your shut-off valve. The red handle fits on top of the brass stem (at the tip of the red arrow) and should be secured by a screw. The stem is typically machined with flats or swaged with serrations that mate with the handle for transferring torque from the handle to the stem. Often, if the valve is old and tight and someone applies too much force, these serrations or flats get rounded off or stripped smooth entirely.

Your picture resolution is not high enough for me to tell, but I have a sneaking suspicion that may be the case which would explain why the handle is on the ground. Usually, after the handle strips the stem (i.e., the handle spins but the stem doesn't turn), people will take off the handle and use pliers or vise grips on the stem to turn it. If that's the case, you should follow Jerrymac's advice and have a plumber replace that old valve with a good quality ball valve. You will need the ability to shut off the water quickly and completely if you ever have a broken pipe in your home. While the plumber is there, have him reset your PRV to the correct pressure setting.

 

[DIYorBust]

If the Plumber is called, would it be unsmart to replace the PRV when this work is done? I've had an old PRV self destruct and leak all over the place. No idea if this is common or not. But if it's not new, it's something to think about if a plumber is coming. Curious what others would say. They're not super cheap unfortunately.

 

[OLD TIMER]

Is the red arrow the water supply inlet or outlet.

 

[M F]

The green arrow is pointing to a PRV Pressure Reducing Valve. I reduced the water pressure delivered at the street to the house. Many times street pressure can exceed 100 psi. Normal pressure to your house should be adjusted to around 50 psi.

Can’t tell from the picture what the red arrow points to. It’s possibly the water shut off.

Thank for the info!

 

[Mliu]

Is the red arrow the water supply inlet or outlet.

Typically, the shut-off is before the meter and PRV. Also, that shut-off valve looks like it has a drain (the little cap on the lower right side) and the drain should be installed on the downstream side. Based on those observations, I'd say that the red arrow is the inlet to the home.

One would expect an electrical ground wire (GEC) to be on the main supply pipe that emerges from the ground. So seeing a wire clamped on the pipe past the green arrow may lead you to believe that's the supply inlet. However, the wire you see there is most likely a bonding jumper that allows any grounded electricity to get past the PRV and meter. I bet it's clamped onto the pipe on the other side of the wall (upstream of the red arrow).