Question, Is it possible to add a stop valve for a condo that shares water?

[rishi]

Hi guys, not a plumber by any means, however probably a better than average handyman so I wanted your guys opinions on what it would take, if possible to do what I want plumbing wise...

I have a condo that shares water with five other units in the building. Now, I was planning on doing some work inside soon, which may open up all the walls, so my question is, would it be possible for me to add a stop valve for only my units water? Right now the only one is for the whole building, so if I need to turn the water off i have to turn the water off for the whole building, this also limts the ability to install a water softener.

Any thoughts or ideas on this would be much welcomed. thanks yall.

 

[Diehard]

I can't see how anyone can offer an opinion on this, not knowing if the piping system would lend itself to that.
Or were you hoping that all condos were piped a certain way?

As I understand it, two or more units may share a particular section of plumbing pipes, making it difficult to isolate a single condos water piping.

The best bet, if possible, would be to determine which branch water lines are dedicated to your unit and decide if you can live with only a portion of your water being treated.

Better still may be to get all owners to agree to adding a common water softener.

 

[Jeff Handy]

It’s unlikely that your building is piped so that each unit has its own plumbing zone.

So a single master shutoff is probably not going to happen.

Your HOA maintenance people might know a lot about your pipes, ask them.
Maybe you will get lucky.
But the association still might not allow that change, usually every little modification has to be pre-approved.

But you can add new shutoffs to each fixture while you have walls open.
Especially a tub or shower, which usually don’t have shutoffs.
Or they have them built into the valves, but they often eventually freeze up.

Make sure you are not installing a shutoff that will also cut off water to neighbors down the line.
You can add tees to fix that.

Many associations don’t allow installing water treatment devices, they are afraid of flooding or excess water use.
And the salty drain water might not be allowed.

Diehard is right, see if the building will install one to handle every unit.

 

[FishScreener]

It is definitely possible. But it may not be be doable.