Water Damage Guides · Water Damage Guides
How to Shut Off Your Water in an Emergency
Knowing how to shut off your water is one of the most useful things a homeowner can learn, and it is also one of the easiest to put off. The main shut-off valve is often in a corner of the basement or a utility room, behind boxes, out of sight, and out of mind. When a pipe bursts, that valve is the difference between a small puddle and a flooded house, and finding it in the dark while water is spreading is the worst time to learn where it is.
- ✓ Written for New Jersey homeowners
- ✓ Visit first, then a plan
- ✓ Call to arrange a visit
This guide explains, in general terms, where the main shut-off usually is, how to turn it off, and what to do if you cannot find it. The advice is general, because every house is different, and the safest time to learn it is now, before an emergency happens.
Find the shut-off before an emergency
The main shut-off valve is usually near where the water line enters the house. In many New Jersey homes that is in the basement, near the front wall, close to the water meter. In homes without a basement it may be in a utility room, under the kitchen sink, or in a closet near the front of the house. It is often a lever handle or a round wheel handle on the main pipe, and it may be labelled. Walk through your house now, find it, and make sure you can reach it without moving heavy boxes or furniture.
Once you have found it, check that it turns. A valve that has not been touched in years can seize up, and a seized valve is no use in an emergency. Turn it off and on once, gently, to make sure it moves, and then leave it on. If it will not move, or if it leaks when you turn it, have it looked at by a plumber before you need it. That check takes a minute, and it is the kind of minute that saves an hour of water damage later.
How to turn the water off
A lever handle usually turns a quarter turn, so the lever sits across the pipe when the water is off. A wheel handle usually turns clockwise to shut the water off, like a tap, and it may need several turns. Turn it firmly but do not force it, because a forced valve can break, and a broken valve is worse than a stiff one. Once the water is off, open a tap at the lowest point in the house and one at the highest, to let the water drain out of the pipes and reduce the pressure in the system.
Remember that turning off the water stops new water coming in, but it does not remove the water that is already on the floor. That water still needs to be taken out, and the house still needs to be dried. The emergency water removal page covers what happens after the water is stopped. The shut-off is the first step, not the whole job.
Shut-off valves for single fixtures
Most fixtures have their own shut-off valve, and knowing where those are is useful too. A toilet usually has a valve on the wall behind or beside the bowl. A sink usually has valves under the basin, one for hot and one for cold. A washing machine usually has valves on the wall behind it. Turning off the valve for one fixture stops the water to that fixture without shutting off the whole house, which is handy when the problem is a single leaking tap or a running toilet.
These small valves can seize up just like the main one, and they are worth checking when you do the main valve. If a fixture valve will not turn, do not force it, and use the main shut-off instead. Homeowners in Vineland and across the state who know both the main shut-off and the fixture valves can act faster when a leak starts, and faster is what limits the damage.
What to do if you cannot find the shut-off
If you cannot find the main shut-off, there are a few places to look. Check near the water meter, which is often in the basement or in a meter box outside the house. Check the utility room, the laundry area, and the closet nearest the front of the house. In some homes the shut-off is outside, in a pit or a box near the street, and in that case it may need a special key to turn. If you still cannot find it, ask a plumber to locate it for you and to show you how it works.
If a pipe has burst and you cannot find the shut-off, do not waste time searching while water is spreading. Get to a dry place, call a professional, and describe the situation. The professional can help you find the shut-off, and if the water is near electrics, the priority is safety, not the valve. Knowing where the shut-off is before an emergency is the goal; in an emergency, calling for help is the fallback.
After the water is off
Once the water is off, the next steps are the same as for any water loss. Move belongings away from the water where it is safe to reach them, take photos of the damage, and call a professional. Do not turn the water back on until the cause of the leak has been found and dealt with, because turning it back on will start the leak again. If the leak was a burst pipe, the pipe needs to be repaired before the water comes back on, and the water damage needs to be dried before any repair to floors or walls begins.
Keep a note of where the shut-off is, and tell everyone in the household. A valve that only one person knows about is a valve that is useless when that person is away. The burst pipe water damage repair page covers what happens after a burst pipe in general terms, from the pipe repair through to the drying. The shut-off is a small piece of knowledge, but it is the piece that stops a leak becoming a flood.
Labelling the shut-off for the whole household
A main shut-off valve that only one person knows about is a valve that is useless when that person is away, and a valve that is hidden behind boxes is a valve that cannot be found in an emergency. Labelling the shut-off, and telling everyone in the household where it is and how it works, is a small job that pays for itself the first time it is needed. A simple tag on the valve, a note on the fridge, or a photo on the family group chat are all enough, and each of them takes a minute. The important thing is that the knowledge is shared, not kept in one head.
Show the other people in the house how the valve turns, and let them try it once, so they know how it feels and how far it turns. Show them the fixture valves too, under the sinks and behind the toilets, so a leak at one fixture can be stopped without shutting off the whole house. And make sure the path to the main shut-off is kept clear, so nobody has to move boxes or furniture to reach it in a hurry. A household that knows where the water can be stopped, and who can stop it, is a household that can act fast when a pipe bursts, and fast is what limits the damage.
Key Takeaways
- The main shut-off valve is usually near where the water line enters the house.
- A lever handle usually turns a quarter turn, so the lever sits across the pipe when the water is off.
- Most fixtures have their own shut-off valve, and knowing where those are is useful too.
- If you cannot find the main shut-off, there are a few places to look.
- Once the water is off, the next steps are the same as for any water loss.
- A main shut-off valve that only one person knows about is a valve that is useless when that person is away, and a valve that is hidden behind boxes is a valve that cannot be found in an emergency.
Your Next Step
If this guide matches what you found at home, the next step is a visit — not a guess. Call and describe what you found, and the visit is arranged from what you describe. The Emergency Water Removal page explains what that service covers, and the structural drying page explains how drying works after the water is removed.
Do not enter a flooded room, do not touch electrics in or near standing water, and do not try to clean up sewage yourself — sewage is Category 3 black water and a health hazard.
Keep the guides on this site bookmarked: the first guide, the signs guide, and the preparation guide cover the checks worth repeating — after a leak, a flood, or a burst pipe.
Water Damage Restoration help is available across New Jersey. See water-damage-restoration in Wayne, NJ for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.
More Water Damage Guides
Ready for the Next Step?
Call to arrange a restoration visit in New Jersey. Describe what you found and we will talk through the next step.
📞 Call (888) 855-7081(888) 855-7081