Homeowner library · Water supply
Finding your main shut-off valve
Everyone in the house should be able to find the main valve. In an emergency, it is the difference between a small mess and a flooded basement.
- Plain steps you can check yourself
- When it is safe to try and when to stop
- What a plumber does next
- One phone call if you want it handled
- Licensed, insured trade work (details confirmed when you call)
- Diagnosis before anything is cut
- Emergency calls taken
- Etobicoke and the west end
Where to look
In the typical Etobicoke house the supply pipe comes in through the street-side foundation. The meter and main valve sit nearby, often in a utility room, under the stairs or behind a panel. Condo units normally carry their own isolation valves near the water heater, laundry or in a closet.
- Townhouses may have valves in a basement or a mechanical closet.
How to close it
Gate valves (round handle) close clockwise until they stop. Ball valves (lever) close with a quarter turn so the lever is perpendicular to the pipe. Then open a low tap to relieve pressure.
- Do not force a seized valve; it can break.
If it will not turn
Call a plumber. The city can shut off supply at the curb stop. Plan to replace a seized valve with a ball valve.
- Test your valve once a year.
Fixture shut-offs
Most fixtures have their own shut-off valves: under sinks, behind toilets, at the washer and at the water heater. Using these lets you isolate a problem without shutting off the whole house. Test them occasionally; old multi-turn valves often seize.
- Replace seized valves with quarter-turn ones.
Teach the household
Walk the whole household, teenagers and house-sitters included, down to the valve and let each of them turn it.
- Tag it clearly.
- Keep the area clear of storage.
How the job runs
Locate
Front wall near the meter.
Close
Clockwise or quarter turn.
Relieve
Open a low tap.
Label
Tag the valve for others.