What a Day!

This isn’t about farming, but a life experience that all should be ready for.

Do you know where your house water supply cutoff is? I do. Everyone should know where it is for your home. Be sure you can get to it and how to turn it off. Pictured above is our cutoff in the basement.

This plumber’s wife had to snap into action yesterday with a neighbor. The dilemma? Water gushing like a fire hose from under her kitchen sink… I mean really gushing. I could actual hear it when I was coming up the sidewalk of her house with the front door closed! The noise alone put the hair on your neck up. The kitchen was filling up with water like a glass under a spigot.

Plumbers are racing to get there but are 10 or more minutes away– 5:00 traffic the evening before big snow -ugh. 10 minutes doesn’t seem long, till your kitchen is filling up with water and beginning to ooze into other rooms.

The main water cutoff valve in the house was not accessible because of a renovation long ago that was built over it. The water meter at the street is hidden under snow. It took forever to find it, then how and what do you use to turn it off??

Minutes later it is finally cut off. All the while, water was blasting like a fire hose into the kitchen.

Avoid this frantic scene:

• Know where the main water cutoff in your house is and how to cut off.
• If you don’t have one inside your home or it is not accessible in an emergency call a plumber to move or install one before you need it.
• Have a water meter key hanging in your pantry. You can go to the meter at the street and cut off your water. They are available at home improvement stores.

This situation could have been so much worse than it was. Several neighbors were close at hand to pitch in and help.

My goodness what an ending to a day! When I got home, I walked to the basement to be sure I remembered where ours was—and that I was able to turn it off.