Red valve handles on a pipe against a yellow wall

Primer: the most important valve

Finding Your Main Water Shut-Off

When a pipe bursts, the minutes before the water stops decide how much drywall you replace. Find your main shut-off today, while nothing is leaking, and the next emergency becomes a much smaller story.

Plain steps you can do yourself, safely
Clear signs for when to stop and call
Written for Newmarket houses and water
A plumber on the phone if it goes sideways

What goes wrong in the pipes

A split supply line can release a lot of water in a short time, and it does not stop until someone closes a valve. Every minute you spend searching the basement with a flashlight is water soaking into flooring and drywall. Knowing where the main valve is, and knowing that it works, is the single cheapest piece of flood protection a homeowner has.

Have these on hand

Flashlight
Adjustable wrench
Towels and a bucket
Our number on the panel door

Hands-on steps

Find the water meter. In most Newmarket homes on town water, the service pipe comes through the front foundation wall into the basement, and the meter sits close by. The main shut-off is usually right before the meter, on the street side.
Check behind finished walls. If the basement is finished, look for an access panel in a closet, under the stairs or in the furnace room. Builders often hid the valve there.
Identify the valve type. An older round handle is a gate or globe valve that takes several turns. A lever handle is a ball valve that needs a quarter turn.
Test it gently. With a tap running upstairs, turn the valve clockwise until the flow stops. Do not force it. Then open it again slowly.
Label it. Hang a tag on the valve and show everyone in the house where it is.

On a private well, the main shut-off is usually on the line just after the pressure tank. Turning off the breaker to the well pump stops new water entering the system as well.

Mistakes that turn a small repair big

Forcing a seized valve. An old gate valve that will not budge can snap its stem or start leaking from the packing. Stop and call instead.
Confusing the curb stop with your valve. The curb stop near the property line belongs to the municipal system and needs a special key. Leave it to the Town or a plumber.
Closing it once and forgetting. Valves that never move tend to seize. Exercise yours once or twice a year.
Boxing it in. If you are finishing a basement, leave an access panel.

When to put the tools down and call

Call if the valve will not close fully, leaks when you turn it, or cannot be found at all. Replacing an old gate valve with a quarter-turn ball valve is a short job that can save a basement. If you are ever unable to stop water during a leak, call (365) 517-0623 right away. While we are there, we can check other items on your list, from slow drains handled by drain cleaning to backups that need main sewer line clearing. Before winter, also see our guide to winterizing outdoor taps, which relies on the same valve-finding skills.

Asked on site

Which way do I turn the main valve to close it?

Clockwise, the familiar righty-tighty. A lever-style ball valve is closed when the handle sits across the pipe.

My valve drips when I turn it. Is that serious?

A small drip from the packing nut can sometimes be stopped by snugging the nut slightly. If it continues, have the valve replaced.