Knowing the location of your home’s water shutoff is one of the most important preventative items to check off your homeowner’s to-do list. Water damage caused by your home’s water supply can be extensive – especially if you’re left fumbling to find the water shut off for too long.
To prevent unnecessary damage from flooding in your home, or if you’re in the midst of a water emergency, take these steps to find your home’s water shut off.
- Check the street-side perimeter. Water mains typically run from the street in a straight line to your home. Homeowners should look “on-grade” for the shutoff. The valve inside your home will either be a knife-style or round-handle valve. When you locate the shutoff, turn the valve completely off to effectively stop the water flow to your home.
- Take to the streets. If you don’t have luck locating the shutoff valve inside your home, head outside to stop the water at its source on the street. The shutoff valve on the street will be located at your property boundary at the beginning of the water main. There should be a utility box located at ground level, which will have an emergency phone number for the water company. Once you contact the water company, they will walk you through steps to turn off the water source.
- If time isn’t of the essence, check your property inspection report. If your home is flooding, chances are you might not have time to search through filing cabinets for your property inspection report. However, if you are preparing for potential issues in the future, this is another method for finding your home’s water shutoff valve. The information on the shutoff valve will be located in the plumbing section of the report. The water shut off location should be listed along with a picture of the valve itself.
Shutting off the water supply
Once you have found the water shut off valve, you’ll want to work quickly to turn off the water source to your home. Water shut off valves come in one of two styles: a knife-style valve or a round-handle valve. Each variety has a different set of instructions to turn off the water. Luckily, both are relatively simple.
- Knife-style valves run parallel to the pipe. The handle on a knife style valve is only able to turn in one direction. Turning the knife-style valve a quarter turn should effectively stop water flow to your home.
- Round-handle valves look a lot like their name describes. These valves look similar to a hose faucet and typically need to be turned several times before the valve is completely in the off position.
Emergency plumbers in Amarillo
Many plumbing problems don’t require turning off the main water supply to the home. However, it is helpful to know where and how to access the water shut off in case of a plumbing emergency or if you suspect a leak within your plumbing system.
If you’re having problems locating your home’s water shutoff, or if you have another plumbing emergency that needs immediate attention, call Pratt Plumbing at (806) 373-7866.
