Where Is My Water Shutoff Valve? Find It Using Easy Steps

Knowing the location of your water shutoff valve (or valves) and how to turn it off can save you thousands of dollars, plus hours of clean-up time. A burst pipe, a malfunctioning toilet tank, or even a leaking appliance can all cause serious water damage.

But if you know where your main water shutoff valve is, then you can stop that damage before it starts. Plus, knowing how to turn off the water in your house is one of those basic home skills that everyone should have—especially if you're planning on being in your home for a while.

In this article, we'll walk you through everything you need to know about finding and turning off your home's main water shutoff valve.

Why Do You Need to Find Your Shutoff Valve?

If you have a home, you probably have a water shutoff valve. Water shutoff valves are important because they can be used to turn off the water supply in an emergency, like when there's a burst pipe or hot water heater malfunction. If you don't know where your valve is and how to turn it off, this article will help!

Your first step is finding the location of your valve. Typically, it's near the water meter (the box where the pipes connect). In older homes (built before 1980), you may need to look inside for this part of your house.

Newer homes tend to have a meter outside that serves as an indicator for where your main line runs into and out of each room.

Where to Find The Water Shut Off Valves

If you're looking for the location of your water shutoff valve, this section will help. You may have a water meter in your front yard (on the street side), or it may be in your basement or crawl space.

The location of this particular valve can vary depending on where your home is located and its plumbing system. Once you find it, turn off the main water supply to the house and then call a plumber to inspect any damage and repair it if necessary.

Inside The House Perimeter

You can find the water shutoff valve in one of these places:

Basement Or Crawl Space

If you are in a basement or crawl space, this will likely be on an outside wall (usually near a faucet), but it could be anywhere that doesn't have access from outdoors.

Garage And Utility Rooms

The same goes for garages and utility rooms-you'll want to look around any room that is accessed from indoors only, not from outdoors. You could also be lucky enough to have one in your attic or laundry room!

Kitchen

In the kitchen, if there is no bathroom nearby (this would mean that both bathrooms are located in other parts of your home). 

But unless yours has its own septic system/septic tank that needs cleaning out regularly (which wouldn't happen very often anyway), having one here makes sense because all of your other plumbing systems will use up more water than what goes down into a toilet bowl at any given time.

Your Property Inspection Report

If you don't have any idea of where the water shutoff valve is located on your property, get a copy of the property inspection report.

The property inspection report contains important information about your home, including where the water shutoff valve is.

Once you've obtained this information, head outside and look for it, this should be easy if you are able to find a utility box on your house or garage door frame with an electrical meter installed inside of it; if so, there should be a label indicating its purpose (e.g., "water").

Streetside Water Shut Off Valves

There are three locations where you can turn off the water supply. The first is at your home's front yard, where you will find a pipe sticking out of the ground. This is called a "streetside shutoff valve."

The second location is at your house's foundation, in the basement or crawl space. You should be able to access it by removing some coverings and then working on it until it turns off the main water supply to your house.

How To Locate Your Water Meter

Water meters are usually located in the front yard of the home and are protected by a meter box. The meter itself is typically located inside the box, which may be made of metal or plastic.

If you don't have an idea about where your main water line is, you can consult with a professional from () to locate it for you.

To find your water meter:

• Find out where your local water main line is located by contacting your utility company or municipality
• Look for an outdoor faucet (usually attached to a hose) near where the line runs into your house and turn it on full blast until all of its pressure has been released
• Locate any faucet valves within 5 feet of where this faucet was connected; these are probably connected directly to one another via underground pipes that run from each valve back towards one another in an S-shaped pattern (this makes it easy for homeowners—or savvy plumbers—to isolate sections without having to dig up large sections at once)

How To Turn Off the Valve In Quick Steps

Once you've located the main valve of the shutdown, you have two choices: (clockwise method for the gate valve or gate valves and perpendicularly for the pipe for a ball valve or ball valves ).

If you have a water shutoff valve in your house, there are a few different ways to turn it off.

The first way is to turn the knob on top of the valve clockwise until it's completely closed. This will stop all water from flowing into your pipes.

The second way is to use an adjustable wrench to turn the nut on top of the valve counterclockwise until it's completely closed. This will stop all water from flowing into your pipes.

Tips For Finding The Correct Location Of Water Shut Off Valve

1. You will need to locate the main shutoff valve, which can be found in the basement, crawl space, or yard.
2. If you do not know where your main shutoff valve is located and you have one, contact a plumber for help locating it.
3. If there is no access from outside of your home and there are no windows near it, and a plumber cannot check for leaks in this area, use a mirror on a long pole or extension ladder to look at the ceiling above where you suspect there may be an access panel for plumbing.
4. Do NOT try to open any panels that are sealed with screws from inside as they could fall down on top of you, causing serious injury or death if they hit someone while they were standing below them!
5. Use caution when removing any covers over exposed pipes, as well as using tools with sharp edges such as screwdrivers that may damage these pipes even further by scratching off any protective coating that was applied during installation years ago (this can lead to leaking).

More About Shutting Off Water in Your House

Shutting off the water supply to your house will help you avoid many problems. When you turn off the main water shut, it stops all the water going into your home. You'll also have to switch off any water sources inside before you do this. So that no one can use them while they're being repaired or replaced.

This includes both hot and cold faucets. If there's a broken pipe in one of those pipes, turning them on could cause flooding when repairs are made because all of that trapped air would be released at once! It's better to plan ahead than risk losing everything because someone forgot about their leaky showerhead for five minutes while they were getting ready for work in the morning (or whatever).

The Final Words

Now that you know how to shut off the water, here is a useful tip: if you are going to be away from home for an extended period of time, it's a good idea to call your local plumber company and request that they turn off your water and check the entire plumbing system as well.

In addition, make sure that all appliances that use water—such as dishwashers, washing machines, and more—are turned off when not in use. This will keep them from wasting water while also helping keep them in good condition longer.

704 Plumbers Of NC is always there for your plumbing needs. We are available 24/7, 365 days a year. Our services are provided by the trained and best licensed professional plumbers in the town. You can easily contact and avail of our services at a very much low price just by calling us at (704) 313-8982. All the services like drain cleaning, faucet repair and installation, garbage disposal repair, water heater repair, and new installation are available there from us.