Know your Water Shut-off Do's & Don'ts

1/3/2023 (Permalink)

Know where the water shutoff valve is before it's too late!

How to Find Your Shut-Off Valve

Knowing where your water shut-off valve is could mean the difference between a small water damage and a large one. Start by looking around the perimeter of your house/property. Usually, the shut-off valve will be on the side of your house/property that faces the street (water mains usually begin there). If you're having trouble finding your valve, you should check the plumbing section of your property inspection report. The location is usually written there with a picture of the valve. As a last resort, you may want to utilize the street-side shut-off valve, located at the beginning of your water main.

How to Operate Your Water Shut-Off Valve

Once you find your shut-off valve, you will need to know how to turn it on and off. There are different types of valves and different ways to turn them off and on. Below you will find the way to operate the most common used valves:

Knife Style Valve. A knife style valve resembles a straight handle. In order to open the valve, you'll want to put the handle parallel to the pipe. Turning the handle sideways will then shut the valve.
Round Handle Valve. A round handle valve turns in a circular motion to be turned on and off. In order to turn the valve off, you'll want to turn it left until it is tight.
House Side Valve. There is a street-side utility box for your house. You can access it by lifting the lid and putting it to the side. The side of the box facing your house will contain the house side valve. It usually had a knob or nut to turn off and on.
Street Side Valve. The other side of the utility box facing the street will contain the street side valve. This valve is only supposed to be handled by water companies, so you will want to ignore it (it likely won't be able to be used without a special tool anyways).
If you have any questions about water, mold or fire remediation, call your local professionals at SERVPRO® of North Sarasota.

24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, SERVPRO® of North Sarasota Emergency Service 941-365-4614.