Do you know how to shut off the water in your home? If you don’t, it is an important thing to know, especially in the case of an emergency. Your home has an emergency shut off valve for the water that supplies your home. It is important to always know where this is located and how to shut it off.
Why Do You Need to Shut Off the Water in Your Home?
There are many reasons you may need to turn off the water in your house such as a pipe burst, a backed up sewer drain, flooding or any other reason that causes water to enter your home. When you quickly shut off the water valve, this could help you save from a bigger disaster.
Where is the Shut Off Valve?
Of course, there are going to be different setups depending on your home. If your home has a basement, the water shut off valve will most likely be down there and probably located near the front foundation of the wall or where the water comes from, such as the floor. The valve is usually located three to five feet away from the main water entrance or near the water heater. If your home doesn’t have a basement, the shut off valve might be in a small crawl space like under the kitchen sink or even near the water heater. These are usually easily accessible.
How Do I Shut Off the Main Water Valve?
First, you need to know if the water valve has a round wheel or handle to shut it off.
If your valve is a round wheel, then you need to turn the handle to the right (clockwise). Keep in mind, you might need to do this two or more (full revolutions) to completely shut off the water.
If your water valve has a handle, all you need to do is turn it one quarter until it is parallel to the pipe.
Remember, after you turn off the water valve, turn on the sink or tub to relieve any water pressure. This also ensures that you have fully shut off the water. You might also want to shut off the power to any electric water heaters or boilers during an emergency. Put your gas water heater on pilot setting on the thermostat and shut off the gas if you end up draining the heater.
Rainforest Plumbing and Air
It is a good idea to talk with a plumber to make sure you properly know how to shut off your water valve. For the best plumbers Mesa AZ, Rainforest Plumbing and Air delivers stellar customer service with trustworthy technicians that know what they are doing. You can count on Rainforest Plumbing & Air to be available at all hours of the day and night to help with any plumbing or HVAC issues. It doesn’t matter if it is a commercial or residential building, Rainforest Plumbing & Air has the experienced Mesa plumbers AZ and tools to get the job done right the first time.