[Shop-talk] Is this a shutoff?

[Scott Hall]

Guys,

My gas line seems to be devoid of shutoffs. There's a few of these things:

http://imgur.com/StikUPR

Which I hope are shutoffs, and one obvious shutoff...on a pipe with an open
end. Opening that shutoff value produces a sound like gas moving.

I can't find a whole-house shutoff (or a meter). I'm assuming it's
underground. The utility says I have gas service.

The thing in the picture is just upstream of the water heater. I'm hoping
that's a shutoff because if it's not I don't know how to R&R the heater,
and the heater is on its way out.

Also, there MUST be a whole-house shutoff, yes? I'd like to re-do a lot of
the piping under there, but you'd better bet I'm not touching it until  I
know it's off to the whole house...or at least shut off upstream of where
I'm working.

If that thing IS a shutoff...how do it work? Or rather, how to I know when
it's open and when it's shut? Clockwise is off, counterclockwise is on?

Thanks.

Scott, hoping not to blow hisself up