Do you know where your Main Water Shut-Off Valve is?

Water is a powerful force of nature, capable of great amounts of destruction in a blink of an eye. And without saying this great destructive force is always under constant pressure 24/7, 365 days a year putting stress on your homes plumbing and drain systems. Yet they manage to keep this natural force rather tamed, but what if you are in a pinch and must shut off your homes water supply because you have water leak behind the wall or worse a burst pipe causing untold chaos. So, what is the logical and first response in such case? Well it’s to run for your life and cut the water supply to your house, by means of shutting off the Main Water Shut-off.

But here is a problem, you don’t know where is it. A plumber won’t make it in time, and by the time he does the damage is done, thousand dollars in damages and a headache. But all of this could have been averted. Let’s start with some signs of a leakage problem in your house.

A clear indication of a leakage somewhere are things like, pockets in the ceiling, yellowish ceiling, unexplained moisture, higher than average water bill (not the best indication, but it’s an indicator that something in your home is using more water than it should), mold or dripping from ceiling, wet drywall and water on the floor in the corners. Remember if you notice something odd that was never there and suspect it may be a leak then it’s best to contact the professionals to come and help you out, as prolong exposure of water to drywall, ceiling and the wooden beams behind raises the chances of a mold, and molds are extremely dangerous to human health as well as a very pesky thing to get rid of.

So what do you do when you notice something is odd? Well as said you call a professional and you shut off the water just to be on the safe side. But here is another question do you know where your main shut-off is located? And is it easily accessible? It’s best that homeowners know the location of their main shut-off valve for their own safety and as well as a major time save for us plumbing technicians. Main shut-off valves are located in the basement, unless you live in a condo or apartment then your main shut-off valves would be located under the lavatory sink in a bathroom, or some other place in your unit. Therefore it’s very important to know the location of your main-shut off, if you are unsure please do ask your building management or superintended for this information as it’s very important to know.

Most homes main shut off valves are more often found close to a wall, sometimes they are accessible truth a service door or a service cover. If you can’t find your main shut-off valve then it may have been dry walled over and made un-accessible, this is an extreme hazard and homeowner should resolve this immediately with help of a professional. It is also very important to make sure the main shut-off valve is operating properly and is not leaking. If you close the water and the water meter is still spinning it’s an indication that the valve is faulty and is letting water truth, in such case call plumber to repair or replace your main shut off valve.

We recommend that homeowners make sure there shut-off valves are operational, accessible, and that members of the household know the location and operation procedures of the main shut-off valve in an event of an emergency requiring the water to be shut off.

Note: If you have a Tankless water heater you must shut it “off” prior to shutting off main water supply, this is done to prevent the Tankless water heater from burning out due to lack of water.