How to Shut Off Your Home's Water
Learn where the main valve is on a quiet day. In the typical Whitby house it sits beside the meter, a hand-span above the slab on the front foundation wall.
- Step-by-step, written from real jobs
- Tools to have ready and safe stopping points
- Where to stop and hand it to a licensed plumber
- Licensed plumbing trade
- Camera before digging
- Written job notes
- Phone-only booking
Summary card
Learn where the main valve is on a quiet day. In the typical Whitby house it sits beside the meter, a hand-span above the slab on the front foundation wall.
Turn valves slowly; old valves can break. Exercise them once a year.
The procedure
- Locate the meter and the valve beside it on the house side
- Turn a gate valve clockwise or a ball valve a quarter turn
- Open a low tap to drain pressure
- Know the fixture stops under sinks and behind toilets
- Hang a bright tag on the main valve for the whole household
Tools to have at hand
- Flashlight
- Adjustable wrench
Do it in this order
- 01
Trace the incoming water service to the basement wall; the main valve sits just ahead of the meter
- 02
Wheel handles go clockwise to the stop; lever handles go a quarter turn across the pipe
- 03
Open the laundry tub faucet so the lines drop to zero pressure
- 04
For one fixture, close the small valves under the sink or toilet
- 05
Test the main every year so it does not seize
Hang a bright tag on the main valve so a babysitter or neighbour could close it.
Whitby Plumbing, from the job
Stop and phone a plumber if
- The main valve will not close
- The valve is leaking
- You cannot find the main
Notes for Whitby
Some townhomes and newer builds hide the main valve behind a panel in a finished basement. The municipal curb stop outside is generally for Region use only.
When the desk should take over
Phone when the handle refuses to turn or drips once moved.