How to Turn Off Your Water Supply

How to Turn Off Your Water Supply

It is important that as a homeowner, you know how to turn off your main water supply. Whenever you are experiencing issues with your plumbing or are going to be fixing an issue with it, you must turn off the main supply. Otherwise, you’ll experience backflow and most likely, more expensive damages.

Before you begin any operation with your plumbing, have the right gear and tools ready. You should always wear gloves and safety glasses while messing with a plumbing issue of any kind. You never know what you might come across in your drains and pipes.

• Find the location of your stopcock or shut off valve. Most of the time, you can find your main water supply’s shut off valve right under your kitchen sink. This is where it is usually placed due to the convenience of the location.
• Once you have located the stopcock, turn its handle clockwise until it no longer turns and the water supply is shut off to the entire house. If you notice some resistance in the handle due to the lack of use, spray it with penetrating oil to loosen it up a bit.
• If you’re in need of turning the exterior water supply off, find your outdoor stopcock. This is usually found under a metal plate on the driveway or near the public pavement. It isn’t typical for homeowners to shut off the exterior water supply but the stopcock is there just in case.

If you have any plumbing questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to call a professional local plumber. They will have more information for you and can help you decide if the problem is worth their assistance. They’ll come perform a plumbing inspection and even fix the problem immediately if it is of minor concern. Otherwise, they’ll inform you of the bigger issue and explain the best way to go about correcting it. They will then provide you with a quote for their plumbing services.