Have you ever been in a situation where water started pouring everywhere from a dissembled faucet attachment, a faulty pipe, an uncooperative toilet, or even a malfunctioning household appliance? Flood damage is a real thing. Your home’s interior, such as your floors, water, ceiling, or even furniture, could get harmed in the process. It’s safe to say you probably don’t want to pay for any home interior projects as a result of water damage any time soon. Now before you start thinking, “Everything is functioning fine. I don’t need to know where the main water shut-off valve is.” Please, take our word from your licensed professionals at Blue Ash Plumbing & Drain. We have seen many scenarios where had the homeowner known where the main water shut-off valve was and how to turn it off, they would have been saved from heartache and costly home repairs. So, don’t wait for anything detrimental to happen. Go ahead and perform a walk-through of your home, locate the shut-off valve, and familiarize yourself with how to turn It off if needed.
HOW CAN YOU LOCATE THE MAIN WATER SHUT-OFF VALVE?
If you can shut off the water supply at the shut-off valve from within your house, this is the best option to pursue. Especially if you can’t shut it off by means of local valves. Luckily, doing this will cut off the entire water supply of your home, which is what you are seeking at the moment. This comes in handy when trying to perform a repair or some type of home project, or perhaps you need to quickly shut off your water due to water randomly gushing everywhere. So, without further ado, here are three ways you can locate the valve mentioned above:
Indoors- If the shut-off valve is in the basement, you should perform your search by looking for the valve at eye level or higher. However, if you checked the basement and can’t find it there, move on to the next floor, which should be the ground level. Here you will continue your search for the shut-off valve by keeping your gaze and looking downwards. The shut-off valve will occasionally be stationed inside a plastic access panel. So, keep that in mind as you scan your home.
Outdoors- For the most part, the main water shut-off valve will be within the perimeters of your house. You should be able to locate this valve by staying on the side of your home that is adjacent to the street. Main water supplies begin at the road and generally make a beeline to your house, which means they travel the shortest path to the house. Once you have located the main water valve, turn it off, and voila, you have found your main water shut-off valve! Please, note this only applies if your home draws its water from a municipal water supply. So, this means that if your home uses well water, you may find the valve on the side or back of your house.
Property Inspection Report: If all else has failed and you still have not been able to pinpoint where your main water shut-off valve is located. There is another alternative to finding its residence, and that would be by thoroughly reading through your property inspection report. This would have been made available to you when the final inspection of your home was completed when you first purchased your home. You should find this information in the plumbing section of your report. It should not only mention the location of the shut-off valve, but it should contain a picture of it as well!
HOW DO YOU TURN OFF THE MAIN WATER SHUT-OFF VALVE?
There are two types of main water shut-off valves. It would be beneficial to know how to turn them off in case the need ever arose:
- Ball Valve: If your main water shut-off is a ball valve, it consists of a straight handle that will align parallel to the open pipe. A ball valve can be closed by turning the straight handle about a quarter of a turn clockwise until the water is off or until it is in a perpendicular position. You shouldn’t be able to turn the valve any further than this due to the structure of the ball valve.
- Gate Valve: If your main water shut-off is a gate valve, then it functions very similarly to a hose faucet. This valve is a round handle that should be turned clockwise until the water supply is completely shut off.
And there you have it! Hopefully, this has been informative for you. Of course, we hope no home disasters occur for you, but if they do, you now have the peace of mind knowing that you are aware of and know how to shut the main water shut-off valve if necessary. And remember, Blue Ash Plumbing & Drain is here to help you with all your plumbing concerns and any household plumbing projects if needed. We can be reached at (513)-995-4898, or you can book an appointment online with us by clicking here!