Water Shut Off Valve Outside The House

It will likely be below an access panel buried in the ground.

Water shut off valve outside the house. The main shutoff valve allows a full flow of water through the pipe when it s open. For typical city dwellings there are actually two main shut off valves. The city s valve is always located on the street side of your water meter often near the edge of your yard. This guide reviews the types of water shut off valves how they are used and where to find them inside and outside your home.

To keep the neighbor kids from running your hose when you re on vacation or to keep the pipes from freezing over winter it is necessary to shut off the valve to the outside faucet. If you have a water leak or just need to turn off the water in your home for remodeling or repairs you must turn off your water upstream at some point. Your valve is located on the house side of the meter. The street side valve is designed for city use only.

These fixture shutoff valves can take many appearances but a very common one is a small silver colored valve with an oval handle with ribbed edges for gripping. This allows water to be shut off for small repairs or replacements to the fixture itself without interrupting water flow to other areas. Test the valve s operation most shut off valves feature a round knurled handle that s easy to access. An old gate valve can break so be gentle when you re handling it.

Shut off water in your house. The main water shut off valve stops the flow to the entire home from the water meter while other water valve types shut off the water at individual appliances fixtures and faucets. That s where the main water shut off valve comes into play. This turns off water to the entire house even outside spigots.

There s usually a water supply shutoff valve next to your water meter outside where the city can easily turn on or off your water. One that the city controls outside of your house and one that you can control inside the house. If you ve never shut off the main water valve before test it before you leave on vacation. Like indoor faucets an outside faucet valve that has worn out can come to the point where faucet will not shut off completely.

Details and alternatives. This valve is usually in the basement or on an outside wall in a utility area of the house. If you have trouble reaching the valve. Water faucets on the outside of a building still use a valve assembly to regulate the flow of water in a similar way to how indoor faucets operate.

Simply turn it clockwise to cut off the water supply flowing to your home. All water flow should stop. Turn on a faucet somewhere in the house and shut off the main water valve. Turning off this valve by turning it clockwise cuts off the water supply to the entire house.