Water Shut Off Valve Outside The House

To keep the neighbor kids from running your hose when you re on vacation or to keep the pipes from freezing over winter it is necessary to shut off the valve to the outside faucet.

Water shut off valve outside the house. If you ve never shut off the main water valve before test it before you leave on vacation. Shut off water in your house. Turning off this valve by turning it clockwise cuts off the water supply to the entire house. The city s valve is always located on the street side of your water meter often near the edge of your yard.

The main shutoff valve allows a full flow of water through the pipe when it s open. This guide reviews the types of water shut off valves how they are used and where to find them inside and outside your home. Details and alternatives. If you have trouble reaching the valve.

Your valve is located on the house side of the meter. Test the valve s operation most shut off valves feature a round knurled handle that s easy to access. An old gate valve can break so be gentle when you re handling it. You ll need an adjustable wrench a bucket and slip joint pliers.

Simply turn it clockwise to cut off the water supply flowing to your home. All water flow should stop. It will likely be below an access panel buried in the ground. If you have a water leak or just need to turn off the water in your home for remodeling or repairs you must turn off your water upstream at some point.

This valve is usually in the basement or on an outside wall in a utility area of the house. For typical city dwellings there are actually two main shut off valves. Turn on a faucet somewhere in the house and shut off the main water valve. Like indoor faucets an outside faucet valve that has worn out can come to the point where faucet will not shut off completely.

The main water shut off valve stops the flow to the entire home from the water meter while other water valve types shut off the water at individual appliances fixtures and faucets. It s simply a matter of locating the outside faucet which is the point where the water is accessed outside of the house. The street side valve is designed for city use only. This turns off water to the entire house even outside spigots.

This allows water to be shut off for small repairs or replacements to the fixture itself without interrupting water flow to other areas. That s where the main water shut off valve comes into play. There s usually a water supply shutoff valve next to your water meter outside where the city can easily turn on or off your water. Water faucets on the outside of a building still use a valve assembly to regulate the flow of water in a similar way to how indoor faucets operate.