Water Shutoff Hero

How to complete Water Shutoff Hero

When a pipe bursts or a toilet won't stop filling, the difference between a mopped floor and a destroyed ceiling is whether you can kill the water in under a minute. Finding the valve now, calmly, means you'll never have to find it in a panic later.

1. Look where the main supply line enters the house: often the basement, a crawlspace, the garage, or near the water heater
2. Check an outside wall facing the street or the utility area for a valve on the incoming pipe
3. Identify the type: a round wheel turns clockwise to close, a lever closes when turned perpendicular to the pipe
4. Turn it off fully, then open a faucet to confirm the flow stops, and turn it back on
5. Tag the valve or note its exact location somewhere everyone in the home can find

Tips

• If you find only the street-side meter valve, you may need a meter key; buy one cheaply so you're not stuck
• Exercise an old stiff valve gently a couple times a year so it doesn't seize when you finally need it

What counts as done

You can walk to the valve and shut the house's water off, confirmed by a faucet running dry.