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Avoiding Emergencies with an Automatic Shut-Off Valve

Bursting pipe

We know that if at all possible you want to avoid calling for an emergency plumber in Rockville, MD—or wherever your house is in our service area. We understand, of course. Our expert plumbers are always ready to come to your assistance, and we offer 24-hour emergency plumbing service because we know that plumbing problems don’t obey schedules and calendars or care much what time of night it is. When you need that burst pipe or gushing broken faucet fixed, you can count on us to be on the job.

But let’s talk prevention because, as we said above, you don’t want to be in a situation where you’re calling up a 24-hour service plumber. And you’d also like to have peace of mind about plumbing problems striking when you can’t call for a plumber, such as a broken fixture creating flooding while you’re off on a vacation (something that’s a big concern at this time of year).

An Automatic Shut-Off Valve Is a Great Prevention Device

We recommend all homes in our service area have an automatic shut-off valve (also called an emergency shut-off valve) installed in their plumbing if they don’t have one already. These valves are attached to the main water line as it enters the home, close to the manual shut-off valve.

(Reminder: If you don’t know exactly where the manual shut-off valve is, make sure you locate it. You may at times need to shut off water to the whole house. Hopefully, not in emergencies—that’s the job of the automatic shut-off valve.)

What the automatic shut-off valve does is right there in its name: when water starts to flood from a burst pipe or other plumbing fiasco in the home, the valve shuts off water flow into the house on its own. There are a number of ways these automatic shut-off valves can work. One of the most common is a pressure sensor. If there is a sudden drop in pressure in the water line, it often means water is being lost through a large leak. The pressure drop causes the valve to swing closed. The valve may also work through sensors placed strategically around the house, such as in the basement, that will detect water where it shouldn’t be and then send an electronic signal to the valve to close.

If you have a water leak emergency, the shut-off valve will close off the flow of water to the house so that no further damage is done from the burst pipe or other problems. You can then arrange for the necessary repairs without panic. But best of all, the shut-off valve will offer you the relief of knowing you already have an emergency plumber of a sort guarding your home when you’re not there. You won’t have to worry about major plumbing accidents causing serious damage to your house.

Our plumbers install and service automatic shut-off valves. If you already have one for your home, contact us for regular maintenance to ensure it works when you need it. If you don’t have one, there’s no time like the present to schedule installation.

Mallick Plumbing & Heating is the service contractor of choice in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

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