You and your family have booked a two week trip to Florida to take the kids to Disney World. However, you decide it’s best to leave Princess, the family Shih Tzu, at home. Your neighbor, Steve, has agreed to feed Princess every night and take her out. The first week flies by. Everyone is having fun. The kids met Mickey and Princess has been in good hands. Half way through week two, Steve calls to tell you that there’s been an emergency. He came over to feed Princess and found water is pouring out from under your kitchen sink into the floor, and it won’t stop. Frantically, you each agree that the first priority is stop the flow of water… but how? Where? You don’t have an answer for Steve because you don’t know yourself...

Unfortunately, this scenario and others like it are an everyday occurrence. At Pro-Fetick Plumbing, we prevent these situations by teaching our customers the importance of knowing how and where to shut off your home’s main water supply. You can then likely prevent disaster by shutting off your home’s water supply before leaving for vacation. 

How to Shut Off Water to the Whole House

1. After the water passes through the city meter, it comes to what is known as the main shut-off valve in your home. In most cases, this is in the basement or crawl space and can be found on an outside wall typically near the front of the house. Another location could be near the water heater or in the garage if your home is built on a slab. There are two types of shut-offs you might encounter: gate valve or ball valve. These shut-off valves can usually be turned off by hand. Just turn the valve handle clockwise to turn off all water to the house. On occasion the shut-off valve can stick if it hasn’t been used in a while. In that case, use a pair of pliers.
2. The other shut-off valve is at the water meter itself. Shutting it off requires a special key. 

How to Shut Off Individual Fixtures

In the event of a leak or repair at a single fixture, each fixture in your home is installed with an individual shut-off for both hot and cold water lines.

Homeowners should be familiarized with the location of each of these shut-off valves and inform family members as well. This will drastically reduce the amount of damage that can occur in an emergency situation. 

Routinely Check Your Shut-off Valves

Each individual shut-off in your home should be checked at least once a year. Open and close each valve. This will help prevent them from sticking. You don’t want 6 inches of water in your home before you realize your valve is stuck in the open position. If you find that one of the valves is sticking or leaking, call our team at Pro-Fetick Plumbing to replace it right away.

With over 30 years of experience serving Lexington, Versailles, Frankfort, Nicholasville, Richmond, and Winchester, KY, we offer quick response times and quality service. Visit our website to send a message, or call us at (859) 263-5727 to make an appointment today.