No unit shutoff in condo- can I add one?

[Ednamae]

I had a plumber out and he said he couldn't tell if he could install a whole house shutoff for my condo. As it stands, the whole 10 unit property built in 1960’s is shut off at the street. I am unit one and so it may be impossible but it seems odd to have plumbed it that way...used to be an apartment complex. He said the pipes on the right look larger and one probably supplies the building and one goes next door. There is one water meter and condo hoa pays water. Can I add a whole house shutoff for when I leave for a month or so? Two story unit. Thanks

 

[Terry]

It was pretty common in the 60's to plumb condo's and apartments with only the one building shutoff. In the 70's I started doing individual shutoffs for each unit, located at the water heaters. So two shutoffs there, one for the hot and one for the cold. I never asked my bosses, I just started to do it that way.
The trend in our area seemed to catch on after that.

Without knowing how the plumbers laid yours out, it's hard to say. I see a lot of 1/2" lines, which would suggest that those may be yours. There is also a larger line that is either a loop to the next unit, or it also may be for your water heater.
You may be able to do some detective work by running a fixture, and then checking to see if there is a temperature change on the individual lines.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Ednamae]

Thanks. Hopefully the water heater solution works for however we are plumbed. My plumber was kind of young and from the suburbs where homes are usually much newer. I think he did mention adding a shutoff at the water heater so I guess I was too fixated on a single shutoff like at my old house .

 

[Reach4]

I marked up a photo with a general idea of how it might be done. I am not a plumber, nor an artist. This picture is just to aid potential discussion.

 

[Sylvan]

I never saw an apartment even those built using the 1939 NYC plumbing code to be lacking in either tile stops or individual fixture valves

 

[hj]

This one probably has those, but not a convenient way to shut off the entire unit.