How to turn off the water to your house

A major concern during freezing weather is pipes bursting. If you have a busted pipe, the first thing you need to do is shut off the water to your house and drain the pipes.

Because the City of Houston is shut down on Wednesday, you will have to turn it off yourself.

On days where the city is not shut down, if you call the city they can dispatch someone to turn off the water. It is always good to have the tools on hand if there is an emergency.

Almost every home has a main cut off valve to turn water off to your home. Your main cut off valve should be on the same side of the home as your water meter. In some cases, it is located within the home behind a covered panel opening. In an emergency, such as a broken line, use this valve to shut off the water to the home.

The water meter valve to shut off your water can be easily broken, or seized. In most cases, it requires a special wrench to turn.

According to Harris County Fresh Water Supply District #61, "The meter is for District use ONLY."  Officials say you could be charged a tamper fine for turning on or off the meter valve.

What to do first

Turning off the water to your house is usually as easy as turning a single handle or knob. A system of pipes, including a main water line, supplies your home with water. Every system has a mechanism — a valve — to stop and start (open and close) your house’s water supply.

The valve is typically a lever, handle, or knob. The main water cut-off valve can normally be turned by hand without tools.

Usually, you would turn off the water to your house at the main shut-off valve somewhere in or around your home. 

You can also turn the water off at your home’s water meter, but this may require a "water meter key" to access the meter box.

Locating Home Shut-Off Valve(Source: Harris County)

Finding the Main Water Shut-Off Valve

The location of your main water shut-off valve can vary depending on your home. In warmer climates, the water cut-off valves are usually outdoors, and in colder climates, they are indoors. The main water shut-off valves have either lever or round wheel handles.

These can be found outdoors along an exterior wall, maybe near a hose, where the main water line enters your house. It can also be found in a basement or near the water heater. Sometimes it is under the kitchen sink.

The valve will either be a round wheel or a handle.

If it is a wheel, turn the handle to the right a few turns until the wheel stops.

If it is a handle or lever, slowly turn it clockwise ¼ turn. It should stop at a quarter of a turn.

How to Turn the Water Off at the Meter

Another way to shut off the water to your house is at the meter, where the water comes to your property from the municipality. This shut-off valve is normally inside an underground ‘pit’ or buried ‘box’ near the property line. These ‘pits’ usually have a cover that reads "WATER METER" and can be removed to give direct access to the valve.

This valve usually shuts off water to the entire property, including sprinkler systems and outside hoses. Sometimes, your meter box will have a lid that can’t be lifted without a certain water meter key.

Once you open the meter box, you will notice two valves. One is a customer shut-off valve, and the other is for city use in case the municipality ever needs to shut the water off to your property.

Use the water meter key to turn the valve clockwise.

What tools to use to shut off the water?

To shut off the water to your house, you typically need a "water meter key" which is a specialized t-shaped tool used to access and turn the valve on your water meter box; depending on the valve design, you might also need an adjustable wrench or a screwdriver to assist with the process.

A water meter key is about $15 at popular hardware stores.

Tips for Shutting off the Water to Your House

Open tub and sink faucets to relieve pressure and ensure a full shutdown. 

When draining the water from your home, it is important to shut off power to electric water heaters and boilers. This de-energizes the water heater and boiler. In the case of gas water heaters, shut off the gas to the heater.

Should You Leave the Faucets Open When the Water Is Turned Off?

You should open the faucets after you turn off the main water to your house to drain the pipes, and if you’re leaving the water off for an extended period, you should keep the faucets open while the water is off.

Leaving the faucets open prevents any pressure build-up.

Turning the Water Back on After Shut-off

When turning the water back on to your house, you must be careful not to let air and water rush back into the pipes too quickly. You should turn the water back on slowly. Leave one or two faucets before turning the water back on, then incrementally restore water until you see it freely flowing out of the open faucet.

When turning the water back on after a shut-off, turn the water-cutoff valve counter-clockwise slowly (and extra slow for lever handles) to return the water supply. You should stop turning after half revolution on a wheel handle and one-eighth of a turn for lever handles.

You may hear water and air from the faucet you left open. Once the water pressure equalizes (intermittent noise ends from faucets), fully open the main valve. Bleed air from lines by slowly opening all water lines to the property, waiting until the noise ends.

It is important to note that the power should only be returned to electric water heaters and boilers after the water system is completely full and all air has been bled out.

The Source: Information in this article is from FOX 26 Houston coverage and Harris County Fresh Water Supply District #61.

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