How To Find The Emergency Shut Off Valve

Post date: Apr 7, 2017 10:31:33 PM

It’s the worst case scenario, plumbing-wise. Your faucet, your toilet, your bathtub – something has spring a major leak. Water is spraying everywhere, and you’re worried it will cause thousands of dollars in damage. What do you do? You should call your local plumber, of course, but what about the leaking water? Your plumber will arrive as soon as they can, but in the meantime you still have a big wet problem on your hands. The first thing you should do – even before calling a plumber – is to shut off the water to your house. This stops the flow of water to all the pipes in your home. This won’t fix the problem right away, but it will at least prevent it from further damaging your home. But of course, you need to know where to find it first.

How To Find The Emergency Shut Off Valve

Every home has an emergency plumbing shut off valve, and in times where you have a plumbing emergency you’ll be glad it’s there! Most of the time you’ll find it near the water meter in your home. That begs another question though – where is your water meter? You’ll usually find it attached to the side of your home, but it can sometimes be buried as well. In these cases, you can find a small hatch on your property similar to a sewer cap. It might be marked “water”. If you can’t turn it by hand, you’ll need to use either a pipe wrench or a water key – a special plumbing wrench. Grab one from a hardware store before the emergency happens so you’re prepared. If you can’t find your shut off valve, give us a call.

Individual Plumbing Fixture Shut Off Valves

While your entire house has its own dedicated shut off valve, you also have individual shut off valves attached to each fixture as well. These are usually located in an inconspicuous spot – behind your toilet, or under your sink. Take some time to locate these valves – they’re usually almond-shaped – in case of an emergency later. You’ll be glad you did! Try shutting them off too – if they’re stuck now, add some lubricant to make them run smoothly. I guarantee this will be a less stressful process than trying to lubricate a stuck valve as your basement fills up with water!

Stuck? Give Us A Call

Once you’ve shut the water off, take a deep breath, and give us a call. Here at London Plumbing, we’re happy to help, no matter your plumbing needs.