Damage to your home from a broken or faulty waterline can be one of the most costly and disheartening experiences you can face as a homeowner. Even more shocking is how quickly damage can occur if you’re not prepared to quickly deal with the crisis. The good news is that until a plumber arrives to your rescue, you can take some simple actions to minimize costly water damage. The key is to...KEEP A COOL HEAD AND DON’T PANIC! With some basic knowledge, you can know what to do in the event you experience a plumbing emergency.
First, here's how to shut the water off to the individual fixtures in your home. Toilets, sinks, washing machines, etc. have their own valves that can be closed while allowing water to continue flowing to the rest of your home. This valve is usually located under or behind the fixture and can be closed by turning it in a clockwise direction. So, if you discover a water leak and it is located between this valve and your sink, toilet or other fixture, you can stop the leak by closing this valve. This should stop the leak allowing you to call for help.
Sometimes when trying to shut off a valve to a individual fixture it does not close completely due to corrosion or lack of use. Or maybe you discover your leak is in a location that does not have a shut off valve. What now? DON'T PANIC, HERE'S WHAT YOU DO!
This situation calls for completely shutting off all the water entering your home. This shut off valve is generally located on an exterior wall about a foot or two off the ground. This is the entry point where water moves through the main valve from the street into your home. When this valve is closed, water can no longer flow. This doesn’t require any special tools, just being familiar with the type of handle you have and which direction closes the valve. You should practice this to become familiar with how it works in the event you need to use it in an emergency. Turning this valve off is SAFE and will not damage any appliances or fixtures in your home. (When you close this valve, some water will still be present in the waterline in your home and will take about 20 - 30 seconds to drain before it stops flowing completely.)
Hopefully you will never experience a situation where you need to shut your water off due to a leak, but if you do you now are prepared!.
This situation calls for completely shutting off all the water entering your home. This shut off valve is generally located on an exterior wall about a foot or two off the ground. This is the entry point where water moves through the main valve from the street into your home. When this valve is closed, water can no longer flow. This doesn’t require any special tools, just being familiar with the type of handle you have and which direction closes the valve. You should practice this to become familiar with how it works in the event you need to use it in an emergency. Turning this valve off is SAFE and will not damage any appliances or fixtures in your home. (When you close this valve, some water will still be present in the waterline in your home and will take about 20 - 30 seconds to drain before it stops flowing completely.)
Hopefully you will never experience a situation where you need to shut your water off due to a leak, but if you do you now are prepared!.
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