How to Turn off your Water
at the Emergency Water Shutoff Valve

Ever have a water leak or a broken water pipe and need to turn off the water to stop the flooding? Do you know how to turn off the water to your house if there is an emergency? Turning off your water supply can save a lot of damage from occurring.

Everyone in your home should know where the Emergency Water Shutoff Valve is located in your home, in case there is an emergency such as a broken pipe. In the event of an emergency, you will want to turn off the water supply to your home as soon as possible to prevent water damage to your property.

Your house valve will be found near the water meter in your basement or crawl space or can be outside your home (look for the little trap door in your lawn). Typically, an older house valve will be a round wheel (called a gate valve). Newer houses or replacement valves have a straight handle (called a ball valve).

In houses with the round wheel valve, rotate it clockwise until the water stops. Give the newer straight handle valves a quarter turn to shut off your water supply. To turn the water back on, either turn the round wheel valve counterclockwise, or turn the straight handle valve a quarter turn counterclockwise.

You may want to attach a label to your house valve for quick identification (so that you can find it even in the dark). Taking a few minutes during daylight hours to locate and learn how to operate your house valve could save you a lot of money in repairing flood damage.