# What is this?



## EricsLawnscapes (Apr 12, 2020)

Anyone have a clue what this is? I am looking for some sort of baclglow preventer or shutoff between the meter at the street (750 ft down the drive) and the shutoff that is just for the house water supply. This is a new to me house and I found this valve box near the house with this inside...


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## jht3 (Jul 27, 2018)

Looks like a bunch of iron pipe fittings screwed together. Might be shut offs on both ends? Could be water or gas.

Normally the thing in the middle would be the back flow or check valve.

Can you hand excavate it further?


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## corneliani (Apr 2, 2019)

The fittings look like they were retrofitted.. possible they held a 1" meter at one point and those fittings are stepping it back down(?). In the meantime you have a water shutoff there at the bottom. Here's the tool used to turn those on/off quickly... or just use adjustable pliers.


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## EricsLawnscapes (Apr 12, 2020)

Well, turns out it was a gas line... the search continues


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## jht3 (Jul 27, 2018)

That's is what I thought it was.

My irrigation shut off and check valve are in my basement next to the main shut off. Old house had the backflow outside next to an exterior wall. Since you know where the street meter is, look back at the house from it and visualize where the pope would run. Usually a straight line.

I'm still looking for a lost valve, for 7 years now. Thankfully it is working fine!


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## TSGarp007 (May 22, 2018)

Mine didn't have a shutoff near the house. Then again it's not 750 feet from the road. I thought it might be near the irrigation system backflow device, but it wasn't. Ended up finding it by one of the external spigots. By it, I mean the pipe entering the house, no shutoff valve. I had someone tap into that and install a water softener loop. I had them add a shutoff valve at the same time.


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## EricsLawnscapes (Apr 12, 2020)

Yeah this has me really fooled. For 750ft from the water meter it is all forest in a straight line so assuming it isn't out there somewhere I feel I have looked everywhere. Just seems odd there wouldn't be a backflow preventer somewhere... but wouldn't be the first time a corner was cut somewhere. I have four water spigots in the ground on quick connects (Like a golf course might have around the green) instead of attached to the house. So basically all 4 of those quick connects are attached apparently to the main supply and the irrigation valves tap into those lines also (that main supply is also class 200 pipe... don't get me started on that). Down stream from all of that all I have found is a shut off for the house supply in the garage but nothing to shut off the outside water or a backflow preventer. Ugh.


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