Who turns off their water valves??

[lederstiefel1]

I always close valves of the machines (dishwasher and washer) as in Germany insurance companies might not pay for a disaster of a broken hose if tap wasn't turned off. New machines here in Germany all have water protection: a hose-in-hose construction that closes the tap immediately when water runs through the outer protection hose into the basement of the machine provided as a flat tub like those of a shower in the bath. MIELE for example has it as well as AEG or others...
Some even have a protection against leekage of the outer tub which holds the water and they switch on the pump to drain the machine as well as shut the water-valve. The problem is here in Germany that most people live in flats and flooding can cause enormous devastation when not stopped as soon as possible!
Also we need only one special hose for a full protection as German Washers usually do not have hot water fill but only cold as they always have integral heaters with 2000 or 3000 W!
They always heat up the suds to the required temperature between 30°-95°C (lukewarm to nearly boil) by itselves.
I, as an alien here in Germany, prefer american washers and do have a Speed Queen in which I wash only cold as we don't have runnig hot water in the laundry-room in the cellar, but with no problem when using ARIEL in it! Even table-cloths and table-napkins come out bright white!
Cheers - greetings from the other side of the Big Lake - Ralf

 

[panthera]

Hey Ralf

Greeting from this side of the lake, too -
How on earth were you able to find a Speed Queen over here? Those are great machines.
Du hast sau-mäßig viel Glück!

 

[veg-o-matic]

Mom never turned off the water, and I don't either. I might do it if the taps were accessible, but they're smack dab behind the stacked Frigidaires. No way can I get back there.

Got SS hoses, though. Fourth floor condo...

veg

 

[hoover1060]

Well...

My mom's never turned hers off, her shut off's are directly behind the washer and pretty well inaccessible.
When I lived in Nebraska there was a shut off that was just a little lever that flipped up or down, and I turned the water off after each use of the Amana. Here in this house I don't, in fact when I moved the Amana out a couple of weeks ago I had a heck of a time getting the handles to even turn! I used the factory hoses on the Amana and never had any problems. With the installation of the Maytag I got the braided SS hoses, and don't really think about it.
I always thought that if we were really supposed to do that the home builders would have made it easier for us to do...

 

[rinso]

I should, but I don't. Mine aren't all that accesible behind my Hetties, so they only get shut off if we are going to be away for overnight or longer.

 

[vivalalavatrice]

Never turned off...

I never turned off the water inlet,either. I've always read you should do it on the user's manual...

I do it in the washer and dishwasher in my vacancies house, but that's because they're left very long time unused! Of course I do not bend down to the faucet to turn off the water each time a cycle ends to turn it on again when the next cycle begins! LOL

It happens once I had to do it when the inlet hose of my old DW was to demaged to let the faucet turned on, I was frightened that too water pressure could explose it, then I have been turning on and off each cycle, but becuause the faucet was quite reachable, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do it.

The same reasons I think we can suppose for electric connections... who does switch off the breaker after each cycle?!?!? And how do you do with gas dryer?

Good Bye
Diomede

 

[toggleswitch]

yep. Closed tight. No leaks allowed

I use this religiously.
Just one shaft to pull up and down.

http://www.plumbingworld.com/wash.html

 

[bobbyderegis]

Hoover1060,
SS hoses on a 608? This is blasphemy! What happened to the originals? Shame!!
Bobby in Boston

 

[golittlesport]

Yes, it is a good idea to always turn the water valves off when not in use. My mom always did that on her first automatic washer, but she doesn't anymore. I always keep the water valves turned off on my 55 Frigidaire washer when not in use. It is located in the garage. My second floor laundry has a Frigidaire front loader built in under a counter and I only turn that valve off when we will be gone for an extended period of time, because it is inconvenient to do so with that setup. But I do have SS braided hoses and a safety shutoff system that will stop water flow if a hose bursts. The machine also sits above a floor drain. So I feel I am protected from anything the water gremlins may throw my way.

 

[rickr]

Always turn mine off. My machines are in the basement,but I still would never leave the valves on. To those that do,you are asking for problems. Hoses,even steel braided,are not designed for constant water pressure.

 

[jasonl]

Toggle

Nice shaft, it swings both ways and controls two ball valves for water output.

Slick.

 

[duetboy]

Really???

There's valves on my hookups?

Seriously, nope, never shut them off. Then again I like living dangerously!

jeff
aka duetboy

 

[Maytagmom]

I've started doing it recently

Ever since I put the new braided hoses on the Maytag.

Of course, now I have to figure out why I can't get hot water into the machine. Grrrr.

 

[lightedcontrols]

No I don't!

No I don't turn off the hoses to the washer, unplug the toaster, record player, television, disconnect the computer, cut the breakers to the water heater, ovens, cooktop, dryer, dishwasher, or do any of that other nonsense. Makes about as much sense as turning off the water to the icemaker when the bin is full. This is a new day folks!!! I LIKE living dangerously!!!Mark

 

[westtexman]

I turn mine off . . .

But I've only done that since moving to my new house. Before, the taps were too difficult to turn due to the extremely hard water we have here in our city. My new taps are very easy to turn off, and they are accessable.

I do this becuase I have a less-than-accptable setup, in that I have two washers connected, using cheap plastic adapters splitting off the inlet hoses. I know, that's bad . . hence the reason I turn off the taps when not in use.

Bryan

 

[westtexman]

Said: "Of course, now I have to figure out why I can't get hot water into the machine. Grrrr."

Carol, my friend, you have to turn the valves back ON once you reconnect the hoses. LOL.

: )

 

[westtexman]

UGH,, I guess I should proof-read BEFORE posting the message

ACCESSIBLE, not accessable. OOPS!

 

[westtexman]

And another . .

Acceptable, not accptable. UGH!

 

[launderess]

Always, ever since started keeping house.

L.

 

[pturo]

Just Went Down Cellar and Did It!

I forget to do this, a lot. I have a 30 something Maytag with original hoses. If I am going overnight or out of town, I shut the water off entirely to the house at the meter downstairs, however.