How do you turn off your water?

Whether it’s to change out a fixture or to repair a leak, there are a few ways to turn off the water to the house.

1. Faucets, toilets, or water heaters - When needing to repair or replace one of these, there is usually a valve next to the fixture you are working on. For faucets, the shut off valves are underneath the sink. There are usually 2 of them (hot and cold side). For toilets, the valve is located near the bottom. The shut-off valves at water heaters are near the heater itself. You will see a pipe that comes from the wall and into the heater. It will usually have a handle to turn on and off the water.

 

1. Showers, pipe leaks, etc – If you are changing out the shower valve, unfortunately there is no shut-off valve close by. You will need to shut off the water at the main water valve. This also applies to leaking water pipes. The main shut-off valve is located outside of the house. They are usually in the front and will be a pipe that comes from the ground and into the house. Attached, there will be a handle that you will turn to shut off the water.

 
Exceptions:
There are exceptions for when the shut-off valve does not work. If there is a leak at the toilet, faucet, or water heater but its before the shut-off valve, then you would need to turn off the water at the water main instead.

If you live in an apartment, you will want to ask your property manager where your shut-off water valve is located just in case you need to use it. Each apartment unit may have one separately or there might just be one for the entire building.
If the water valves have not been turned in quite a while or are very old, they might be frozen. This makes them not turn easily and can result in breaking them if you turn too hard. You will want to have them replaced so when you actually need to turn off the water, you will be able to.

If all else fails, you can turn off the water at the water meter. When you remove the cover, you will see a knob. You will need a wrench or a tool to turn it off, and usually, you will want to call your water company to turn that off for you. If you mess with the water meter and you cause damage to it, the city will hold you liable and hand you the bill for the repairs.
 
We can always come out and check all your shut-off valves in your house to make sure they are all in proper working order, and can replace any that are frozen. Please give us a call and we will set up an appointment.