Water, gas, electric, other things new homeowners need to know about, experts say

As if it were just yesterday and not 1999, Lora Cusumano clearly remembers hooking up a hose to her washing machine when a spigot broke off and water gushed endlessly from the pipes.

"It was like an 'I Love Lucy' episode of me running around like a crazy woman in the basement," said Cusumano, of Glen Cove. "I knew there was a cutoff, but where was the cutoff was the problem. In basements, if it's partially finished you can't always see where the thing is. It could be under the ceiling tile or it could be behind a piece of paneling or something."

She found the water main shut-off valve in the basement bathroom, ending the "mega mess" in the first home she ever owned. The cleanup, including anti-mold products, dehumidifiers and fans, cost her about $3,000, said Cusumano, the 2024 president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents and founder of Lux House Hunters, which represents only buyers..

It was like an 'I Love Lucy' episode of me running around like a crazy woman in the basement.

— Lora Cusumano, of Glen Cove, who founded Lux House Hunters

Such moments define the importance of knowing how a home operates, from shut-off valves to what fuels your heating system. While some new owners moving in may find sticky notes or guides from the home sellers, many are often left on their own.

That's why real estate industry pros say it's important to accompany home inspectors as they assess the house or at least ask the sellers and their agents to point out the key components before taking possession of the house keys.

Even though Indira Gaddipati had lived for years in her family home, she was surprised at how much she didn't know until her home inspector recently pointed out key issues at a Farmingdale house she wants to buy.

"It's almost like being in a class," said Gaddipati, 55, a third-grade teacher from Little Neck, Queens. "I probably learned more about the house than the homeowner would like me to know."

Electric breaker boxes

These are usually in the basement, closet or hallway. Each circuit breaker controls electricity for a specific area of the house, so it's crucial to label each breaker. A breaker will trip into the off position when the total amps of everything being used overloads the circuit, which usually carry 15 or 20 amps.

Look on the appliances and devices for their amps and if those being used add up to more than the circuits' max, the breakers trip, said Bruce Weller, owner of Jericho-based Eagle Eye Professional Home Inspection and past president of the Metropolitan Association of Home Inspectors.. He's been in large homes where the builders connected several bathrooms to one circuit breaker — not good if everyone's using hair dryers and other devices in the morning.

"The code allows them to do it and it's cheaper," he said.

Many homes of a certain age may still have breaker boxes that most electricians advise replacing, the inspector said. Federal Pacific breakers, also known as Stab-Loks, were commonly installed in houses and buildings across the country from the 1950s to the 1980s. They often fail to trip and have been blamed for many fires and deaths.

Gas shut-off

The shut-off valve is near the gas meter, which is usually in the basement or right outside the home, but if you smell gas, get out of the house, call National Grid and open the windows if you have time, experts said.

"You would need a tool to turn that off," he said. "Most times, it's turned off by the gas company." In a pinch, use a good-sized pliers or a wrench to move the valve a quarter of a turn, he said, but the valve might be stiff if it hasn't been turned for years. The valve, which is rust resistant, is the responsibility of the gas company, Weller said, and if anyone shuts off the gas to test the value, all the pilot lights will have to be relit, which could be difficult.

National Grid would have to come to turn the gas back on, the house inspector said.

Also, many appliances, like water heaters and furnaces, have gas valves that can be turned off by hand if the homeowner knows the source of the leak, the home inspector said.

Heating and cooling

Oil, gas, electric, or heat pump — each can power a heating and cooling system.

Knowing what you have helps in determining the maintenance, budget and delivery schedules, from buying filters to bleeding radiators to ordering oil, said Mark Donnelly, president of the Long Island Board of Realtors, which serves 30,000 agents across Long Island and Queens, and a director for the National Association of Realtors.

"On Long Island, forgetting an oil delivery in winter can mean frozen pipes fast," he said. "Also, the better you know your systems, the more efficient they can function, which equals cost savings."

Boilers and furnaces, usually in the basement or a utility closet, may be oil, gas or electric and it helps to know what will still function in the house if the electricity goes out. "If the power goes out and you have a gas water heater, you still have hot water," Cusumano said.

Air filters for heating and cooling systems should be changed at least every three months, Weller said, but replacing filters for boilers is a messy affair best left to professionals, who should be called for annual inspections on furnaces, boilers and other equipment.

A boiler sends heated water or steam through pipes and baseboards to heat your home, so watch out for major water leaks, experts said. If your home has a gas furnace, which sends heated air through ducts, several safety steps, such as turning off the gas, must be taken to make simple maintenance checks, experts said.

Weller advises looking at the data plates on the HVAC equipment to find out how old it is.The average lifespan of a central air system is 15 to 20 years, he said, so if the date is beyond that, it might be wise to save money for a replacement before it breaks but many systems still work after 30 years. Annual servicing by a professional is crucial, he said.

Septic systems

Finding out which septic system you have will guide you on maintenance, experts said.

Older homes likely started out with a cesspool, a cinderblock or brick underground holding tank, which must be pumped out periodically. But homes constructed since 1973 had to have the more environmentally friendly septic tanks, said David Warren, co-owner of Clear River Environmental Service, which focuses on septic systems, plumbing, mold detection and other services. These separate solids from liquids, which drain into a field for further leaching. Increasingly common are hookups to municipal sewage systems. Newer septic systems should be pumped out every three to five years, a cost of $395 to $595, Warren said.

The sewage pipes usually run from the basement or foundation to the tank.

Until a toilet backs up, there aren't too many early signs of a septic system in trouble, Warren said. A fresh air vent, which is a small, round metal plate with holes, can be found on the side of the house or on the roof, and Warren said if sewage seeps out of it, that's an obvious sign to call the professionals. Drain cleaning cost ranges from $275 to $495, he said.

Cusumano notes homes hooked up to municipal sewage systems aren't necessarily problem-free. The pipes may have tree roots growing into them or collapsing due to age, she said, and calling experts to snake a camera into the pipes could stave off bigger problems.

Water shut-off valves

Burst pipes in winter, deteriorating pipes and cracked pipes make knowing shut-off locations a budget saver, experts said.

The water main, a pipe with a diameter of three-quarter of an inch to 1-inch, feeds cold water to the entire house.

The shut-off valves can be in the basement, near the water meter where the pipe enters the home, in a utility closet and even outside the house, experts said. "The location varies so much," Weller said.

"The house I was in today, it was in the hall coat closet because they didn't have a basement. Some homes in Levittown, they're under the kitchen sink."

The two common types are the "gate valve," which has a round, flower petal shape, and the "ball valve," which has a handle. Turn a gate valve clockwise several times to stop the water, Weller said. On the ball valve, make a quarter turn of the handle until it's perpendicular to the pipe, the closed position, he said. When the ball valve is parallel to the pipe, he said, that's the open position.

The shut-off valve for hot water is on the water heater, a few inches from the attached pipes, the experts said.