Label water shutoff valves - brittag/maintenance GitHub Wiki

Aspect	Info
Context	Small multi-family residential
Date started	2024-01
Date finished	2024-05
Status	Complete
Summary of outcome	Improved

Background

Building has a lot of water shutoff valves in shared areas, and various people may need to find and use them.

Problem

Some water shutoff valves were labeled with small metal tags embossed with cryptic codes. The locations and functions were explained in a separate document. These tags were hard to find and read without getting on a ladder with a flashlight, and then you had to check the code against the document to make sure you had the right valve.

Other shutoff valves had locations and functions described in a document but did not have tags.

This was bad if a person needed to quickly find and turn off a valve.

Approach

We obtained this type of waterproof plastic hang tag with integrated zip-ties, $19 for 100. (Not my idea, just documenting it because it was a good idea.) They come in orange, yellow, and other highly-visible colors. You write a clear description in permanent marker, then attach the tag to the valve handle.

Outcome

Labeled a bunch of valves. Much better.

Next steps

There are seemingly endless numbers of valves to label.