When water starts gushing uncontrollably into your home, it is undoubtedly hazardous, unsafe, and can cause significant flood damage to the home’s interior. In this case, you cannot stop water from coming inside due to natural calamities. But if water is coming from your home water supply, you can shut it down quickly with the help of the mainline valve of your home.

That means in case of plumbing emergencies or issues, it is always a good idea to educate yourself on how to turn off the main water line valve. So that whenever your home faces the issue of water damage, you can take action quickly and stop the water which can damage your property. Now the question is, what are the leading causes of water damage in-home or business?

Some of the common causes of water damage in the home are: –

Severe weather
Clogged gutters
Washing machine water supply line leak
Leaking pipes
Blocked drains
Condensation from AC
Leaking water heater
Malfunctioning sprinkler systems

Indeed, you cannot prevent water damage, but you can take precautions to prevent it. For that, address all the possible causes listed above, and after that, there are fewer chances of water damage.

But here the question is, what if you don’t know the location of the main water valve? However, many individuals don’t know from where they can shut off the main water supply of the entire house. If you want to hold the situation as soon as possible, you must know the location of the mainline valve and how to shut it off.

Where Is The Main Water Shutoff Valve Located?

Well, this question is essential, or you can say a million-dollar question. Every home’s main water shutoff valve is located in several different areas. For example, if you live in a home with a basement and crawlspace, the location of the main valve is on an interior wall near the front of the house. It is the place from where the water comes to the entire house.

Moreover, if your home is built on a slab, the main valve may be located near the hot water heater or inside the garage. Additionally, if you can’t find the valve inside your home, it can be near the end of your property line in a covered box in a pit. It is a cement box buried in the ground near the front curb, which you can open with a meter key.

When you try to open a box, be careful as sometimes, small critters, bugs, and various other surprises await you. However, if you cannot find the main water line valve, it is wise to hire a trusted emergency plumbing service in San Diego.

Valves In Unusual Places

If you live in older homes, it becomes quite trickier to find the main valve of the water supply. So, in this case, you must check the inspection report you received when you purchased the home. Moreover, if you don’t find the report, perform the home inspection yourself. For this, look around the water heater, around the foundation wall, under the kitchen sink, etc.

While searching, if you find the access panel, which is not an electrical box, that’s the water shut-off valve. Or you can keep your eye on pipes that have wheel or lever handles.

How To Turn Off The Main Water Line Valve Of Your House?

Let’s start taking steps to switch off the main water line valve: –

1. Locate The Mainline Valve

The water main shutoff valve of your house can be in discrete places, depending upon the home’s age and the climate of the place where you are living. The main valve is a gate valve that looks like a circular spigot or ball valve with a liver-style handle.

2. Turn Off The Water

To turn off the main water supply, you have to give a few turns clockwise to a gate valve until you turn it any longer. But for ball valves, you have to turn the lever clockwise at 90 degrees.

3. Run The Taps

Once you turn off the main water supply, relieve the pressure from the pipes by draining the water already in it. For this, turn on the tap, which is located in the lowest level of your home so that all the water will drain away from the pipes. Moreover, make sure you open both hot and cold water taps and run them until they are empty.

4. Turn The Water Supply Back.

Once you hire an emergency plumber in San Diego for the repair and it is completed, turn on the main water supply by twisting the valve counterclockwise. However, to ensure the valve is in a good position, turn on any faucets and wait for a few minutes until water comes.

How To Shut Off Water To Plumbing Fixtures?

The homes built since the 1950s have a separate shut-off valve that allows them to stop the water supply at those fixtures without shutting off the entire house supply. So, let’s talk about how to shut off the water supply in different home areas.

For this, you have to look for plastic stop valves under the sink or two chrome-plated stop valves, which are usually located at the back of the cabinet. They are connected to the water supply tubes that offer water to the faucet.
However, if you have to turn off a single-handle faucet, you must turn off both. Turn the valves clockwise to turn them off.

How To Shut Off The Water To A Toilet?

A toilet has only one single cold water valve, which is called a stop valve.
First, locate the stop valve and shut it off by turning the handle clockwise.
However, if the valve is difficult to turn off by hand, you must try opening it with a glove, or you can grip the handle with a pair of slip-joint pliers.

How To Turn Off The Cold Water Supply To A Water Heater?

If you want to shut off the water heater supply, first turn off the cold water valve above the water heater. It can be a lever or a regular circular-handle valve. If it is a lever, pull it 90 degrees just from the open position; however, in the circular valve, turn it clockwise.

The Bottom Line

These are some of the ways by which you can find the mainline valve and how to shut it off. However, if you cannot follow the do-it-yourself approach, you can contact 24/7 emergency services in San Diego of EZ Plumbing USA.

The reason is they are bonded, insured, and licensed plumbing contractors who are highly experienced, skilled, and qualified in their field. Also, they are available at an affordable price so that your investment will not get wasted. Our professionals will perform a home inspection and catch plumbing issues that can become a problem in the future.