Learn how to shut off the water flow to your home in case of an emergency. Every homeowner should know how to turn off the house water to prevent water damage until a plumber can reach you!
How To Shut Off The Water To Your House
If a pipe bursts, sewage backs up, or a line ruptures, its important to know the procedure to shut off the water to your home to prevent water damage. Don’t wait for an emergency to get educated!
Required Tools:
- none, or:
- wrench or channel locks (only if valve is difficult to turn)
There are 2 Main Places To Turn Off Your Water:
A: The Ball Valve Inside Your Home
In your garage or basement, locate the ball valve. This usually has a long, thin handle with a rubber covering of some easy to identify color, pointing parallel to the piping. If you don’t see it immediately, try following any pipes coming from the outside of your house.
Turn this valve one quarter turn in either direction, so the valve is perpendicular to the piping, to stop the flow of water into your home.
Tip: Keep this area accessible at all times so that you can access it quickly in case of an emergency.
B: Water Meter Box
If this valve isn’t accessible to you, either due to obstruction, because you can’t find it, you can turn off the water from the sidewalk in front of your house.
Start by finding the rectangular cement cover labeled “WATER”. Inside there is a meter that measure your water usage. On either side are shut off valves. One side is for the city (this side, usually on the street side, will have holes for a lock, in any case where the water service has been cancelled) and the other side is the home owner side.
Either side can be shut off, but in this case, we will shut off the city side. If it is difficult to turn, try using a wrench or a pair of channel locks.
Knowing how to shut off the water to your home can prevent serious damage to your home while you wait for a qualified plumber to arrive. If you found this blog or video helpful, get more DIY tips and how-to’s by subscribing to our YouTube channel today!
If you have a plumbing emergency, or general plumbing problem that needs fixing, Pure Plumbing is available 24/7. Call us at (702) 710-7388 to get help immediately or to schedule an appointment. We are here to help for all of your Las Vegas plumbing needs!