How To Turn Off Your Water
We have had some recent questions in the office about how to turn off the water supply to your home. In an emergency, like a broken pipe, knowing where your water shut-off valve is and how to tun off the water can help to minimize the damage to both your home and personal property.
Here are some basics:
- Most of our water supply source to the home is located out in front by the porch area. A few end units will find theirs outside the kitchen window.
- The cement water vault is set in the ground next to the home’s water supply with the pipes coming up from beside the water vault (see photo 1 below).
- Most water supply pipes have a traditional valve with a hose bib connection attached (see photos 1 and 2 below).
- A second valve might be either a twist (round handle) type or a lever type. This second water source supplies the entire home with water.
- A round handle is turned clock-wise to turn on water and counter-clockwise to turn it off.
- The lever type valve cuts off the water supply by repositioning it horizontal to the ground. The shuts off the water supply to the home.
- In gushing water emergencies you can cut off water to your home quickly from that outside water source by turning the home supply off to everything. If you are doing a repair on a sink inside, you can either turn turn off the water near the sink or turn off the water at the main valve outside.
Take time now to locate your main water source outside, uncover the ‘water vault’ shown in the first picture, mailing sure it’s free of debris/grass/overgrowth/dirt. Keep it clear just in case the water company need to access it in a hurry.
