How to Turn Off the Water to Your House

Knowing how to shut off water to your house is key for homeowners and renters alike. You may need to turn off the water in case of an emergency causing flooding and broken pipes, or as a first step when making upgrades and repairs to the fixtures and pipes in your home's plumbing system.

There are a few different places to turn off the water to your house: the main valve where the municipal water supply enters the house, the water meter, or at isolation valves for specific appliances and fixtures.

Even if you don't have any renovations coming up, you should know where the main valve is, and how to turn off water to the house yourself—and with the help of this guide, you can check the most common valve locations in and around your home, and learn exactly how to shut off your home's water supply.

Main Valve Location

• To locate the main shutoff valve for the home, look for a utility space near where the main water line enters the house.
• The valve may be on an outside wall near the water meter (if the meter is on your property).
• The valve could also be indoors, in your home's basement or crawlspace.
• A main shutoff valve always be located on the same side of the house as the water meter, and it is usually a large valve that may require some elbow grease to operate.
  

How to Turn Off the Main Water Valve

• The main water valve is typically a ball valve, with a plastic handle that can be turned by one quarter to shut the water off.
• After closing off the main shutoff valve, turn on a faucet in your home located on a lower floor, or in a basement.
• Turn on a faucet on a higher floor of your home as well. Doing this allows any standing water to drain out of the plumbing system before you begin working on the pipes.

How to Turn Off Water at the Water Meter

You may also be able to shut off the water from the customer side of the water meter itself— however, this should be a last resort, because the plumbing lines beyond the meter technically belong to the city, and are protected by ordinances.

You should not touch this valve unless the main shutoff valve on the house side is non-existent, or doesn't work.

How to Turn Off Water at Fixtures and Appliances

If a faucet is dripping, a toilet is running, or there's a problem with any appliance supplied by water—you can shut off the water right at the fixture with its isolation valve. By using an isolation valve instead of the main shutoff valve, water can continue to run through the rest of your home while you make the repair.

These valves can vary in appearance and location, but will usually be close to the fixture or appliance. Here's where to look:

• Sink faucets: Look for two sink isolation valves  underneath the sink, where the water supply tubes run up to the faucet—there should be one for hot water and one for cold.
• Toilets: A single valve (a toilet uses only cold water) can usually be found near the floor below the water supply valve, on the bottom left side of the toilet tank.
• Showers/tubs: Check for an access panel on the other side of the wall from the tub or shower, under the floor in the basement, on the ceiling if there is a floor below, or behind the escutcheon plate—where the shower comes out from.
• Dishwashers: The water supply tube running to the dishwasher often has valve under the kitchen sink base cabinet, or near the sink faucet shutoff valves.
• Refrigerator ice makers/water dispensers: The small copper or mesh tube running to the refrigerator usually has a small saddle valve to close the water supply, or the valve can be found under the kitchen sink.
• Washing machines: There will be one valve controlling the hot water inlet hose, and another controlling the cold. These may be by a utility sink, or in a recessed water supply valve box built into the wall near the washing machine.

If you can't find the isolation valve near the affected fixture or appliance, don't worry. You can always shut off the water by using the main water supply shutoff valve.

How to Turn Off Water at the Water Heater

If a hot water pipe is leaking or you need to repair or replace the water heater, there are isolation valves nearby. Depending on your water heater's setup, you will need to locate the correct valve to turn off.

If you notice a blue or yellow valve feeding the water heater, that is likely the one to shut off—make sure to leave the red valve for the hot water alone, and if possible, call your HVAC servicing company or a plumber to talk you through which valve to shut off instead of trying to find the right one yourself.