Today I had a horrible realization. A cold-water pipe that leads to my upstairs bathroom gave out. My basement was quickly flooding with water. The biggest problem was that there were no cut-off valves installed in my plumbing, I had to shut off the water main to stop the leak. My uncle and I fixed the problem, but this taught me a very valuable lesson that I hope to save you from. Any time that you have any plumbing work done, have the plumber install a cut-off valve at every pipe transition that they install. They are relatively cheap, only take a few more minutes to install, and will save you from having to shut off your home's water just to fix a simple problem like a corroded pipe. Water damage will live with your home for years. It causes mold and invites a number of other problems. Having the ability to shut off water to just certain areas of your home is priceless!
