What is the Purpose and Importance of the Shut-Off Valve?

For residential or business purposes, a shut-off valve allows you to control the flow of water and/or natural gas (or propane) to the various supply lines that feed the appliances, fixtures, or faucets on your property. Therefore, they are highly important in case of an emergency gas or water leak. But they are also important for basic plumbing maintenance and diagnostic reasons.

If you think that you might have a leak of any kind, this is where shut-off valves really come into play.

In regards to water leaks, obviously, you need to be able to stop the leak to mitigate water damage. But the condition of your shut-off valves also matters from a leak diagnostic standpoint. If you think you might have a significant issue such as a mystery water leak (slab leak), multiple functioning and well-maintained shut-off valves are required throughout the testing process to be able to isolate and narrow down certain areas. This will save time and cost, and ultimately ensure a more accurate diagnosis.

The need for various functioning gas shut-off valves for appliances is also a given. But knowing where they are and keeping them in good condition can save you significantly in the case of a leak. That’s because the gas utilities companies (Atmos or CoServ) do NOT do any repairs in your home or business. They will come out and test for a leak, but all of that is done at the meter. If a gas leak is detected, the gas is then shut off, and you will be told to call a licensed plumber.

But if they have to turn off the gas, then they lock the meter internally (and sometimes externally). Once that meter is locked, getting the gas turned back on takes many extra steps that add significant costs in the form of permits, fees, tests, inspections, and multiple additional trips by the plumber. If you have functioning gas shut-off valves and know where they are and how to turn them off, then you end up saving yourself hundreds of dollars by calling the plumber FIRST to allow us to make the repair without the meter locked down.

In short: Atmos and Coserv do not make repairs. They test for leaks and if there is a leak, they turn the gas off and lock the meter. Doing that adds days (not hours) to the inconvenience as well as hundreds of additional dollars before the gas can be turned back on.