As a beginning homeowner (and a person who never lived in a house before), I’m constantly expecting horrible things to start happening. So, of course, when I heard strange rumbling, I immediately thought, ‘Pipes!’
So I started running around the house like a scared hippopotamus, looking for the source of pipe breakage and not finding it.
Then a rustling sound joined the rumbling.
The scared hippopotamus started running faster and panicking harder.
In the end, it turned out that the rustling and the rumbling were rain and thunder.
Clarissa's Blog 
Right after learning how to open the front door, a new homeowner needs to know where to find and how to operate the main water supply shutoff valve.
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I guess it’s not a good time to mention the bats and spider monkeys in the walls that (for some reason) US home building regulations require…..
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Yes yes yes yes yes. It has been one year, and my emonitonal life is as complex as in the first week of home-ownership. Now imagine being away 3-4 days a week every week. I can check if I turned the main water valve 3-4 times before I leave for the weekend. I am crazy 🙂
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What is this main water valve thingy people keep mentioning??
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It shuts off water to the entire house. You should find where it is, probably in the basement. It will have a round dial that you turn clockwise to shut off. If you ever need a plumber s/he will need to find it to shut off water to do work.
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// It shuts off water to the entire house.
If I am right, there must be a thing that shuts off gas to the entire house too.
Ditto about electricity.
Wouldn’t be able to go to sleep w/o knowing where all three are.
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I don’t think we have gas. But now I’m not sure.
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You should know by what utilities you pay for. Is your stove gas or electric? How about your water heater?
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The stove is electric. But I keep forgetting about the water heater. I need to ask once again.
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Did your family always rent apartments when you were growing up?
Apropos of nothing:Hungry Hungry Hippos.
Is your house relatively new? If so, you shouldn’t have too many problems. And since the inspection (which you got before you bought the house) turned out to be clean, you should be fine.
Most major problems, in my experience, tend not to be noisy or dramatic.
FYI, you can’t turn off the pipes completely in the winter when you go away. They’ll freeze solid. If your car is inside the garage, you will enjoy the extra time you have in the morning.
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No, renting was extremely rare and ultra-expensive in the USSR. We had an apartment but it was in a big apartment complex. I’ve never lived in a stand-alone house.
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