Every home has two main water shutoff valves: one inside the house and the other by where your property meets the street.
Main Water Shut-Off Valve Basics and Importance
Most homes actually have two such valves: One for outside water sources, which is generally controlled by the city you live in, plus one for your indoor plumbing and water areas.
A typical home has about 16 water shut-off valves, give or take. Here are their locations: Two under each bathroom sink, one for hot and one for cold. Two under the kitchen sink, one for hot and one for cold.
The master shutoff valve shuts off water to the house. Supply shutoff valves shut off the water to specific appliances and fixtures such as sinks, toilets, and washing machines. In most cases, the master shutoff valve to the home will have a wheel (gate valve) or a straight handle (ball valve).
The incoming water line usually comes through the foundation near the front side of your house. Follow this line up to the water meter. Just past the meter should be the main water shut-off valve, a red or green handle or knob.
Most homes today have two main types of water shutoff valves. These include the main shutoff valve and the branch line valves. Every home has a main shutoff valve. This valve stops the flow of water into your entire home.
In most homes, it's usually located near the house's perimeter, around the area where your water meter is installed. What is this? Other places to check include the front, back, or side of your home or near your garden hose spigot. You could even try your crawl space if you still can't find it.
If your main water supply is turned off for any reason, it's best to shut down the water heater as a precaution until the supply resumes. Continuing to run your water heater when the tank isn't full could cause heat damage to the internal components.
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Shower and bathtub shutoff valves are usually hidden behind an access panel. That panel can be in the bathroom, the room behind the bathroom or the ceiling of the room below. If you don't have an access panel, it could be hidden behind the wall. In that case, you would need to shut off the main water supply.
Fixing a Stuck Water Shut Off Valve
We recommend putting a cloth over the handle and using your hand to slowly rock the stuck valve back and forth to loosen it. Keep doing this until the valve can be completely opened and closed. If the valve won't turn after trying this, grab a pair of Channellock pliers.
Your main water shut-off valve might be under the crawl space. You can usually find it along the front wall of the house. With basement: The shut-off valve is wherever water enters your basement. Without basement: The shut-off valve is near the water heater or under the kitchen sink.
Every bathroom sink will have two shut off valves – one for the hot water, one for the cold. You'll see these small shut off valves right where the water pipes come out of the wall inside the sink cabinets. These valves will connect to the underside of the faucet with flexible supply lines.
Your internal stop tap (also sometimes called a stop valve or stopcock) is the point where you can shut off the water supply to your home or business. It looks like a spout-less tap or lever and sits between two lengths of pipe acting as a connector.
There may be a hidden plumbing leak in the walls of your home, or maybe your toilet is running when it's not in use. These “hidden” leaks can cause your home to be using water even when your main water valve is turned off.
Most outdoor faucets are connected to a shut-off value in your home. This valve controls the flow of water to the outdoor faucet. Usually, the shut-off valve is located in the basement, crawl space or utility room. There are two primary types of shut-off valves; the gate valve and the ball valve.
A shut off valve might also be referred to as a lock out valve, cut off valve, a shutdown valve, an emergency shutdown valve, a ball valve, or an exhausting ball valve.
Gate Valve:
Gate valves are one of the most common valves used as a main shut off valve. They are reliable and long-lasting. Gate valves have a twist-type handle and should only be used to fully open water supply or completely shut off water supply.