Maintain Your Water System

MAINTENANCE OF YOUR WATER SYSTEM AFTER HOOKUP

The following guidelines were developed to help residents of Savary Shores prevent leaks in the SSID water system. The guidelines are necessary because there have been incidents of water leaks resulting from residents leaving their curb stop open after vacating the property, water lines freezing in winter and leaking when opened, water draining in the house because the water shut-off box was left open, and the curb stop opened by individuals other than the lot owner.
    
Any water leaks on your property can lead to massive water losses for the District and significant penalties to you. Please keep these guidelines handy and refer to them when leaving and returning to your property in Savary Shores.

The diagram on this page indicates the water hookup structure of every lot, as approved by the Hookup Inspector.

Leak Prevention

To prevent freezing pipes that lead to bursts, residents must ensure that their pipes are either drained before freezing temperatures, or protected with insulation. All drain taps must be closed after draining, and the curb stops must be closed when vacating the property for more than 48 hours, as stated in SSID Water Use Bylaw 136.

The curb stop is located in the water box close to, or on your property, and is marked inside with your lot number. Using a wrench or other suitable tool, turn the shut-off to its closed position perpendicular to the pipe line. Some of the curb stops have a ring attached to the shut-off and that can be locked to prevent opening by anyone other than the lot owner. For the curb stops without this feature, other protection is needed.

Opening and Closing your Water System

OPENING

1. Open the curb stop first. Observe the small black triangle under the glass. It should not be moving if you have the house shut-off closed. If it is moving, it indicates that either the shut-off is not closed, or that there is a leak in the line between the curb stop and the house shut-off.

2. Now open the house shut-off. Water will fill the lines and the black triangle should stop turning. If it continues turning, you have a leak that needs to be investigated and repaired.

You can test for a toilet tank leak by adding a few drops of food colouring to the tank without flushing. If colour appears in the toilet bowl after a few seconds or minutes, you have a leak.

CLOSING

1. Close the curb stop first.

2. Open the drain in the house box to allow the house to drain. Water tanks should be drained into the septic system rather than the house box.

3. Close the drain and secure the house water box.

Property Owners' Connection Diagram