Know your shut-off valves under the counter (2023)

FAQs

How do I know if my valves are shut off? ›

To determine if a water valve is open or closed, there is a simple general rule you can usually follow. Basically, if the handle is turned 90 degrees to the flow, the valve is switched off.

Under kitchen sinks, there will typically be three shut off valves. The two uppermost valves will be the hot and cold valves for the sink faucet. The lower valve is for the dishwasher. Conventionally, these valves would connect to the faucet in the same way as bathroom valves/faucets with replaceable supply lines.

Under-sink shutoff valves, also called fixture shutoffs or stop valves, allow you to turn off the water to your sink (or other fixtures) without having to use your home's main shutoff. These inexpensive little valves rarely get used, but when they do, they sometimes leak.

Kitchen Sink Typically, your kitchen's water shutoff valves are the easiest to find because they're usually under the sink or near the bottom of the sink cabinet. Your sink has piping leading to the faucet, so the valves should be on the piping underneath the sink.

Ball valves may be the most reliable valve and are commonly used for main water shut offs. Similar to gate valves, ball valves should be all the way open to allow the full flow of water or all the way closed to restrict all water from flowing.

The valve is usually located close to where the water main enters your home. If the valve isn't there, you may find it near the water heater or furnace. If the location is hard to access, you may want to consider having a secondary valve installed somewhere easier to get to, for example, under the kitchen sink.

While many types of water valves are available today, the two most common residential water shutoff valves are gate valves and ball valves. Gate valves have traditional, circular handles that raise and lower a gate located inside of a water pipe to stop and start the flow of water into it.

Sinks – The shutoff valve for sinks are usually located in the cabinet underneath the sink. If there is a leak in a faucet or sink pipe, turning off this valve will stop water flow to the sink. Toilet – These shutoff valves are located on the wall behind the toilet.

The toilet, the shower, the bathroom sink, and every other plumbing in your home should have their own shut-off valve.

These valves allow you to stop the flow of water through your pipes before they get to a fixture such as a faucet, showerhead, toilet, or appliance.

Why can't I find my water shut-off valve? ›

If your home is built on a slab, check in the garage or near the water heater for the shut off valve. Next, check outside your house. If the water main shut off valve is located outside, it will be buried underground near the street. Look for a round or rectangular metal cover flush with the grass or sidewalk.

NOTE: This valve should always be completely open or completely closed – never leave half-open to control the amount of flow into the house. It is not designed to be left partially open.

Nevertheless, if you find yourself experiencing fluid leaks, it's time to check your various tubing connections and see if they've been tightened too tightly. If a valve is over-tightened, it deforms the tubing and the connection, as mentioned earlier.

After all faucets are open, let the COLD WATER run for at least 30 minutes. During this time, also flush each toilet in your home 2 or 3 times. Running the COLD WATER should remove any old (stagnant) water which may contain higher concentrations of metals including lead, if it exists in your service line or plumbing.

Look for a rectangular or round cover that will be near the edge of your property, often between the curb and the sidewalk. Some water main valves are located along an alley, rather than the street. The cover may be metal or plastic, and it might say “water meter” to help with identification.

Open or closed: When the handle of a ball valve is parallel to the valve or pipe, it's open. When it's perpendicular, it's closed. This makes it easy to know if a ball valve is open or closed, just by looking at it.

In a home the inside stop tap is usually located under the kitchen sink, but can also be in an airing cupboard or under the floorboards near the front door. You should be able to operate the valve yourself. Turning the valve clockwise will close it, reducing the amount of water passing through.

A gate valve is the most common valve for water supply systems. It represents a linear-motion isolation valve and has a function to stop or allow the flow. Gate valves got their name from the closure element sliding into the flow stream to provide shutoff and, therefore, acting like a gate.

Places to Check for the Main Water Shut-Off Valve

The incoming water line usually comes through the foundation near the front side of your house. Follow this line up to the water meter. Just past the meter should be the main water shut-off valve, a red or green handle or knob.

Which shut-off valves should be open and which closed? All shut-off valves should be in the open position, except the rear shut-off valves.

Why is my water still dripping after turned off? ›

If you notice your bathroom sink drips or leaks out of the faucet head when turned off, there is likely an issue with the seal inside the faucet head, allowing the water to run through or drip. Before calling a professional plumber, consider whether you're able to repair the leak in your bathroom sink yourself.

Adjust the valve underneath the sink

If you wish to reduce the water pressure to a particular faucet, turn the valves clockwise by a quarter rotation. Make sure to turn the cold and hot water valves equally to create more consistent water pressure.

Every home has two main water shutoff valves: one inside the house and the other by where your property meets the street. The simplest way to shut off all water running through your house is to know where the main valve is located inside your house.

The shutoff valve itself is typically football-shaped and connected to a pipe or hose attached to the bottom of the tank of your toilet. On the other end of this pipe should be a connection to the wall. It's important to note that some older toilets do not have shut-off valves behind them.

Shutoff Valves

They are seen in pairs: one valve controls the hot water; the other controls the cold water. Many shutoff valves use compression fittings, so they can be installed onto the water pipes without soldering. But you will have to turn off the water to the house to replace a shutoff valve.

Supply stop valves primarily control water flow to household plumbing fixtures. They are usually located where the water pipe enters the room, such as behind the toilet or under the sink. This allows easy water shut-off to the fixture for maintenance and repair without having to turn water off to the entire home.

Whether you're putting in a tub, toilet, sink, or floor drain, they all need a plumbing vent on the drain to make it work properly. If there is no vent, a number of problems may occur: The fixture without a vent may drain slowly. The drain will likely make gurgling noises.

❖ Within the dwelling, a shutoff valve is required on the fixture supply pipe to each plumbing fixture except for bathtubs and showers. Bathtubs and showers typically do not have shutoff valves because it could be difficult to provide access to valves for locations such as upper-story bathrooms.

Is water shut-off valve by water heater? ›

In newer homes, the water main shutoff valve is typically located inside or around the water heater closet. Very often, however, the valve can be in any number of places inside, or even outside your home.

Today, the best tool for the job is ground penetrating radar (GPR) as it accurately maps metal and PVC pipes. Traditional pipe locators use electricity and magnets to locate underground pipes.

Stuck valve: If you simply can't turn the valve, which happens often with fixture shut-offs and old-fashioned main shut-offs, you may need to spray the valve with WD-40 and give it time to lubricate before trying again.

It's important for every homeowner to know that most homes come with compression valves which are not designed to last. The compression aspect of the valve usually fails to work after about 8-10 years. This usually fails either with wear and tear or simply because it's old and has been in the home for a long time.

The customer shutoff valve stops the flow of water at the meter. The master shutoff valve located outside the home shuts off water to the house, and Individual or supply shutoff valves shut off water to specific appliances and fixtures such as toilets and washing machines.

In most cases, the master shutoff valve to the home will have a wheel (gate valve) or a straight handle (ball valve). Gate valves (pictured to the right) are operated by turning the wheel clockwise until the water is off. Ball valves are operated by turning the handle a quarter-turn clockwise until the water is off.

Inside Locations. If your main valve is located inside your home, it can most likely be found in one of three places: your basement or crawlspace, your garage, or near your water heater. This is a small knob that is most likely labeled as your emergency shut off valve and probably red in color.

When it comes to which way you should turn the valve, keep in mind the old saying “righty tighty, lefty loosey.” In other words, turning a valve clockwise, or to the right, will restrict the flow of water while turning it counterclockwise, or to the left, will allow water to flow.

The speed of the engine determines how early the exhaust valve opens. At low RPM's the valve opens early and at high RPM's the valve opens late.

Generally speaking, the valve is basically closed clockwise and opened counterclockwise, or called left open and right closed. Because most people are accustomed to using the right hand, it is easier to turn clockwise than counterclockwise when using the right hand.

How long does it take for water to stop after turning off main valve? ›

Turning the valve clockwise will close it, reducing the amount of water passing through. It may take a few minutes for the water to stop altogether.

The state of a valve is typically either open or closed. On an FD or P&ID, valve symbols are white to show that they are normally open, while completely black symbols show that they are normally closed.

The incoming water line usually comes through the foundation near the front side of your house. Follow this line up to the water meter. Just past the meter should be the main water shut-off valve, a red or green handle or knob.

They are different types of water valves designed for this purpose, including ball valves, cartridges, ceramic disc valves and compression valves. Many are used as tub and shower valves. Cartridge valves are designed with a movable stem inside a plastic cartridge that can be raised or lowered to regulate flow.

Most homes actually have two such valves: One for outside water sources, which is generally controlled by the city you live in, plus one for your indoor plumbing and water areas.

There may be a hidden plumbing leak in the walls of your home, or maybe your toilet is running when it's not in use. These “hidden” leaks can cause your home to be using water even when your main water valve is turned off.

Diseased valves can become “leaky” where they don't completely close; this is called regurgitation. If this happens, blood leaks back into the chamber that it came from and not enough blood can be pushed forward through the heart.

If a valve doesn't open or close properly, blood flow through the heart to the body can be reduced. In mitral valve regurgitation, the valve flaps don't close tightly. Blood leaks backward when the valve is closed, making it harder for the heart to work properly.

If the valve timing is incorrect, not only will the engine not run, but the piston could smash into the valves, causing catastrophic damage. Usually, the result is bent valves and damaged pistons.