Hi Guys!

I have a new plumbing problem, I think :-/ I came home from the beach and was greeted by a notice on my door from the county water department. It read, "We were doing a random inspection of homes in the area and discovered your star valve was leaking". It went on to say, "Please contact the county water department to notify us of the repair."

I called them to find out more, but all I got from them is that the "star valve" is located near the meter and that I should call a certified plumber immediately. My first reaction was to kick my ex's dog (it really was an accident). My second reaction is to ask you.

What in blazes (the harshest word I use) is a "star valve" and why should I care whether it leaks, or not?

Thanks!

Hi Star,  "Star valve" has got to be a nice new shiny word invented by your water department for something.  I don't know what it is and when I Googled it, Google couldn't tie star valve back to a water service.  It has to be one of several things. A backflow preventer valve or a pressure regulating valve.  Why should you be concerned?  Because if it's located downstream from your water meter then you're paying for all the water that's leaking out.  If the valve is connected in front,(the street side) of the meter then it's the city's responsible for the repair.  PS.  What beach did you come home from?  I live next to the Gulf Beachs  in the Tampa Bay Area.  Cheers,  Tom

The city may be using sloppy terminology and referring to a valve by the manufacturer. Look around the water meter and see if you see anything leaking. If you see something leaking, likely that is the problem. Even if it isn't what they are worried about, you need to get any leak fixed. Look it over carefully. Measure the pipes on either side. Likely they will be what are called 3/4'' pipe, which is about an inch in diameter on the outside. If you can shut the water off before the leaking valve, you may be able to buy a new one and replace it.

On the other hand, city codes may require all plumbing to be done by a certified plumber.

One more point. If it is a back flow preventer and it is leaking backwards rather than out of the pipe, they may shut your water off until it is fixed.

Hi Guys!

I called the RotoRooter people and asked for the same guy that helped me before. He was real helpful last time. He said that the "problem" was a shut-off valve that somebody had installed before the meter to the house. It was on "their" side, not mine. He said the main shut-off was working perfectly and didn't need this extra valve. He took it out and said he would send the bill to the county water department. He also took a bunch of pictures of it and had his supervisor come out to look at it. I guess this was to cover themselves when they started asking the county to pay up.

Apparently, they called it a "star valve" because it had a handle that looked like a star. I looked at it and didn't see the resemblance. Mr. RR called it a wheel handle and it didn't have anything to do with the action of the valve. He said most of the county water dept people really knew their stuff and great to work with, but he also added that a few of them were complete... well, I'll just leave what he said, to your imaginations ;)

When I go to the beach (which is fairly often) I hang out at my brother's house in Sandestin, Florida. 8)

You guys are great. I appreciate the advice.

Interesting you are getting a big help from Rotorooter. Labor Day last year, we had a sewer back up at our church. We ended up with RR in place of our regular service. The worker was much more professional, and has helped us with some long standing problems. Had him back today for a urinal. I tried my hand snake yesterday, but couldn't get it past the trap, old cast iron stuff. He also worked on the Sloan Valve that was sticking.

Big problem with the church is that when it was built in the 50's they tied the down spouts to the sanitary sewers. It has been built on several times, and nobody is sure where the drains go. I insisted on replacing the downspouts and gutters a few years ago, and now with the larger roof, more water goes down the drain than it will take in a hard rain. $$$$$$$$$$$$$