Your Home's Plumbing

Many customers are unsure about where the Spotsylvania County Utilities Water system ends and where their home plumbing begins. Water meters and their settings are owned and maintained by the Spotsylvania County Utilities department. Your home’s plumbing includes all of the pipes and fixtures on your property, from the meter or valve near the street to the pipes and faucets inside your home.

Main Water Valve

This valve controls water flowing into your home. Depending on the age of your house, the main water valve can be inside a garage, basement, laundry room, near your water heater or in your crawl space. In newer homes, it is generally located where the water line enters your home through the foundation. 

It is recommended that you locate the main water valve because you can use it to shut off the water in an emergency or when you are making plumbing improvements or repairs. It can also be turned off while the property is vacant to prevent water damage that unforeseen leaks might cause. A plumber or heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) expert should be consulted for long-term water shut-off of appliances like water heaters, etc. Some older homes do not have main water valves. If your home does not have a main water valve, you may want to consult a plumbing professional for installation procedures and costs.

Water Service Lateral

This is the pipe that runs underground from the meter or valve near the street to the main water valve inside the house. Typically, it is made of copper, plastic or sections of both. Unlike those components, water meters and their settings are owned and maintained by Spotsylvania County Utilities Department. Usually, meters are located near the edge of the property in a small barrel that is placed in the ground and covered by a cast iron lid. It is helpful to keep plants, shrubs, and trees trimmed away from our meters and registers to allow us to read and maintain them.