Beach City is close to home and part of our regular service area. Licensed master plumber, MPL 38224. Call 832-334-2836, 24 hours.
A job out here
Job notes · Beach City — hose bib and main shutoff
The hose bib failed first. When we went to shut the water off at the main, the shutoff would not close all the way — it was still passing water.
We told the customer he had two choices: leave it and use the meter whenever he needed the water off, or fit a new quarter-turn ball valve. He chose the valve so he would never have to go out to the street again.
Wood-sided house, so no open flame anywhere near it. We used Viega MegaPress press fittings — a cold, mechanical joint, no torch.
Test your main shutoff before you need it
This is the part of that job worth passing on to every homeowner out here.
Most people find out their main shutoff does not work at the exact moment they need it to — which is to say, while water is going somewhere it should not. A valve that will not close fully means you cannot isolate your own house. You are going out to the meter, in the dark, with a tool you may not have.
Testing it takes about thirty seconds. Close the valve, then open a tap inside. If water keeps running rather than dribbling to a stop, the valve is passing and it needs replacing. A quarter-turn ball valve is a small job now and a very large difference later.
The same customer above had actually been living with a slow leak he was in no rush to fix, precisely because he had no working shutoff to stop it with. A failed valve does not just cost you during an emergency; it changes what you are willing to do about smaller problems.
No torch near your siding
On copper we use Viega MegaPress press fittings. It is a mechanical joint made with a press tool rather than heat — which means no open flame next to timber, insulation or siding.
On a wood-sided house that is not a preference, it is the reason to choose the method. We use the same approach in attics packed with timber and insulation for exactly the same reason. See repiping and water line repair.
What we leave behind on a water line repair
Every above-ground water line repair we do goes back with a working shutoff valve and insulation.
Those are the two things that cause the next emergency. After Uri, everyone around here knows what an uninsulated line does in a freeze, and a repair that leaves the line bare has not really finished the job.
We also match what is there. Copper stays copper anywhere it is exposed outdoors, because PEX degrades in sunlight and we do not run it outside. PVC goes back as PVC. We do not use whatever happens to be on the truck.
Everything else we do here
Beach City is close enough that there is no job we would turn down for distance. Water heaters · tankless · drain cleaning · hydro jetting · sewer line repair · repipes · water treatment · gas line work · 24-hour emergency service.
Common questions
Why does it matter that my house has wood siding?
Because the traditional way to join copper is with a torch, and an open flame next to timber siding and insulation is a risk worth avoiding. We use Viega MegaPress press fittings - a cold, mechanical joint made with a press tool. No flame.
My main shutoff will not close all the way. Is that a problem?
Yes, and it is the kind that only shows up when you need it. It means you cannot isolate your own house in an emergency - you have to go out to the meter. A quarter-turn ball valve fixes it, and it is a small job compared with what it costs you during a burst line.
How do I test my shutoff?
Close it, then open a tap inside. If water keeps running rather than dribbling to a stop, the valve is passing. It takes about thirty seconds and most people never do it until the moment they need it to work.
Do you come out to Beach City?
Yes. It is close to home and part of our regular service area.
Do you replace hose bibs?
Yes, and while we are there we will tell you the condition of the shutoff behind it, because a failed hose bib is often the first thing that reveals the shutoff has also gone.
What else do you do out here?
Everything we do elsewhere - water heaters, drains, sewer lines, repipes, gas work and 24-hour emergencies. Beach City is close enough that there is no job we would turn down for distance.
Last updated · written by a licensed master plumber, MPL 38224