Outdoor water valve for a garden hose
Sarge1989
| Posted in General Questions on
I own a home that has the pex piping system. I am trying to get both of my outdoor faucets to turn on but when I turn the valve on, no water comes out of the valves. I did check in the basement for any shutoff vales, but did not see any. I do have a well water system. Thanks
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Replies
lol. Keep looking. In unfinished they are likely close to where they exit but often especially if finished they can be all the way across the basement in the utility area. Also they could be under access covers designed to hide them. If pex and they are using a central manifold it could be there. If you have a water softener they may be plumbed so they get unsoftened water.
You may have a combination of shut offs near each outdoor valve, which is common, but also a main valve somewhere (usually near where the water service for the structure originates). It’s common to have all exterior hose bibs on a separate pipe from the interior water lines, especially on wells where the exterior hose bibs don’t usually get fed with softened, and sometimes filtered, water.
Another possibility, if you have freeze proof valves, is the the rod from the handle to the valve seat has come loose inside the valve body and the seat is stuck closed. Sometimes you can open the assembly and fix this, other times you have to replace the entire valve assembly (don’t worry though, they’re not very expensive).
Bill
One more possibility: the lines are frozen.
When all floors are finished, look for shutoff valves under the sink in the closest bathroom/kitchen. If this is new construction, call the builder. If it's a resale, try to reach out and call the last owner. Worst case, you'll need a plumber. It's sort of embarrassing to make that call, and it hurts to pay his minimum fee if he just walks across the basement and says, "here they are." Still, you've learned something.....
If your home is new construction your plumber can likely give you a clue over the phone.
'
If you recently acquired an existing home your realtor could contact the former owner.
My pex is color coded Red= hot, blue= cold and white = unsoften water.
Walt