In the event of an EMERGENCY

In a plumbing emergency, you'll need to stop the flow of water quickly. You need to know the location of the shutoff valves for all fixtures and appliances, as well as the main shutoff valve for the property.

Specific fixture, appliance or water heater leak:

  1. Locate the unit's shutoff valve and turn it clockwise to shut off the water to the fixture or appliance only. The valve is usually located underneath a fixture such as a sink or a toilet, behind an appliance, or above a hot water heater. If the problem is not with a particular fixture or appliance, or if there's no shutoff valve for the fixture or appliance, then:
  2. Locate the property's main shutoff valve to turn off the water supply to the entire structure. The main shutoff valve is inside your home or building where the main water supply pipe enters and is usually in a basement or crawl space at the water meter location.
  3. If the main shutoff valve does not stop the flow of water, then the valve is most likely faulty and needs to be replaced. Call your water company; they can turn the water supply off at the curb valve

Leaking or Broken Pipe:

  1. Locate and shut off any isolation valves that are before the pipe leak. Isolation valves may be present to cut off water to specific fixture groups in a home or building. If there is no isolation valve default to Step 2 above

Main Line Stoppage:

  1. Discontinue use of all fixtures and appliances
  2. Do not use chemical drain cleaner