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The first rule of good plumbing maintenance is making sure that every member of your family knows the locations of the main water shutoff valve and all sink or fixture shutoff valves (shown in Figure 1):
- The main valve is usually a gate valve that allows a full flow of water through the pipe when it's open. This valve is located near the water meter (or pressure tank, if you rely on well water). Turning this valve clockwise cuts off the water supply to the entire house.
- Most houses have fixture shutoff valves at the toilet and at each sink. These valves let you shut off the water supply to one fixture without halting water service to other fixtures. The water shutoff valves to the kitchen sink are inside the cabinets beneath the sink; the bath lavatory valves are usually concealed in the vanity cabinet beneath the lavatory. For the toilet, the water shutoff valve may be on either side, or beneath the water closet or tank.
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Figure 1: The main water shutoff valve is usually located in the basement, close to where the water main enters the house. You can also turn off the water at shutoff valves located under each individual fixture. |
- In the basement or crawl space, you can find water shutoff valves to the outside, or bib, faucets. Some newer houses have frost-proof bibs or faucets to the outside to prevent the faucets from freezing in winter. If you have frost-free bibs, you don't have to shut off the water at the valves inside the basement or crawl space in winter. The shutoff valve for frost-free bibs is located inside the house, at the end of a thick pipe that connects to the water supply pipe outside.
If your house doesn't have frost-free bibs, look for a shutoff valve in the pipe leading to the outside bib. During freezing weather, turn this valve off and then open the bib valve to allow the water between the shutoff valve and bib to run out.
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