How to Locate Your Gas Shutoff Valve and Water Shutoff Valve
How to find and operate shutoff valves for gas and water pipes.
Finding the shutoff valves
Some things in life are worth learning before it's too tardily—like the locations of your water and gas shutoff valves. Now granted, these shutoff valves are oft hidden in some dark, creepy corner of the house. But if a water pipage springs a leak, knowing where the shutoff valve is could save you thousands in water damage repairs. What's more, you can't make those major plumbing repairs or improvements unless you lot showtime turn off the water. The same goes for turning off the gas—though with some strict safety precautions, which we'll talk most afterward.
Abode h2o and gas systems incorporate 2 types of shutoff valves: main or master shutoff valves for stopping the menstruum of gas or water to the entire business firm, and individual or supply shutoff valves for specific appliances and fixtures. We'll look at both types and tell you how to identify them (since they often look similar), where they are and how to operate them.
You'll discover this story contains a lot of "oftens," "usuallys" and "well-nigh always'southward." That's considering valves vary greatly in location, shape and number, depending on the age of your house, the local codes and which part of the country yous alive in. This commodity covers the basics of each system.
Cheque out all of our plumbing valve content here. You may merely find something y'all've been curious about for awhile.
Gas shutoff valves
Photo 1: Street-side gas valve
Houses with natural gas have a primary shutoff valve (Fig. A) located just before the gas meter. This valve, oftentimes chosen the street-side valve, is normally a rectangular nub (Photo 1). When the long side of the nub or handle is parallel to the incoming gas line, information technology'due south open up and the gas is flowing. When information technology's turned a quarter turn, perpendicular to the incoming pipe, it's closed.
The street-side chief shutoff valve must be opened and airtight with a wrench, and, truth be told, gas companies don't want you operating this valve; they but want their ain employees, plumbing and heating contractors and burn down department personnel to use it. They'd rather you apply the house-side primary shutoff valve located after the meter (Photo 2).
Photograph 2: Firm-side gas valve
This house-side valve—usually a ball valve—may be located where the pipe outset enters the house or farther downwards the line, only it will always be located before the outset apparatus. If iron pipe is transporting the gas, it'due south often black; this differentiates it from like-shaped, gray galvanized water pipe.
Photo iii: Higher pressure natural gas arrangement
If your home is newer and y'all find a flexible copper pipe running from the meter into your utility room, you probably have a higher pressure gas organization. In this case, your inside main shutoff valve (Photograph 3) is probably near your furnace or water heater, just before it enters a flying saucer–shaped doodad called a pressure level regulator. In that location's likewise a risk your home—specially if it'due south older—doesn't have a firm-side main shutoff valve.
Photo iv: Hang a wrench near the shutoff
Hang the wrench from the gas meter supply pipe with a slice of stainless steel wire. Then secure the bottom portion. Twist the wire just a few times and then it'll release quickly in an emergency.
Locate those valves?
Well, don't just sit there; go up and locate those valves! And then tag 'em as we explain in Fig. B. In addition to the firm-side main shutoff valve, individual gas appliances should have a service or appliance shutoff valve (Fig. A) that'south immediately accessible, in the same room and within 6 ft. of the appliance. These valves let you to stop the flow of gas to your dryer, oven, furnace, h2o heater or gas fireplaces to brand repairs or new installations without cutting off gas to your entire abode.
Near service valves are single-lever ball valves; again, handle parallel to the line means gas is flowing, perpendicular ways it's cut off. On dryers and ranges, this valve is ordinarily subconscious backside them and can just exist reached by sliding the appliance out from the wall. This service valve will commonly be at the end of a fixed pipe and connected to a flexible supply piping called an apparatus connector. Take intendance non to kink or pinch this flexible pipe.
When you lot repair or supersede a gas appliance, use these shutoff valves to stop the menstruation of gas. (Well-nigh pros replace the flexible connector when they replace the appliance.) If you discover you have a faulty supply valve, or your system doesn't accept one, turn off the gas using the firm side principal shutoff valve.
For those with propane or liquefied petroleum gas, there'south a main shutoff valve on the tank itself, and usually a chief shutoff valve somewhere before the first appliance. Some valves (both gas and water) manufactured before 1980 contain a lubricant to help the valve seal better and operate more smoothly. In many cases, this lubricant will have hardened or reacted with the gas to make the valve difficult to turn. Applying gentle rut with a hair dryer and working the valve open and shut in stages will ordinarily free information technology upwards again. Sometimes yous need to use a pliers to free the stuck handle.
Important! Now that you know where your gas valves are, besides know this: it'due south not always safe for you to plough these valves off in an emergency. When gas reaches a certain concentration in a room or house, the slightest spark can set off a tremendous explosion. A light switch or telephone—even static electricity from your clothes—can produce such a spark.
If you're working most the main or individual gas valve and clearly know the source of the gas leak and that gas hasn't been leaking for long, close off the valve and go out. Simply if you're uncertain of the source or how long the gas has been leaking, clear yourself and your family out and phone call the gas company or fire section from a neighbour'due south house (not your own—call back, phones tin can generate sparks!). Ever err on the side of circumspection.
It'due south a good idea to get ready for gas emergencies before they happen, because sometimes projects involving gas lines don't go as planned. When a gas project goes bad, that'south not the time to exist searching for the correct tool to shut the gas off at the meter. A proficient strategy is to buy an emergency gas meter wrench shutoff tool and secure it to the meter as shown in Photograph 4. Selection 1 up at a habitation center for virtually $12.
Too note: When you close off main or private gas valves, you'll be extinguishing the pilot lights to certain appliances. Many newer appliances have "pilot lite–less" electronic ignition systems, simply if you have older appliances, you'll need to relight the pilot lights. Most appliances have articulate relighting directions on a label almost the pilot light or in the instruction transmission.
But some pilots are pretty darn hard to reach. If y'all're uncomfortable with relighting the pilot light, hire a plumber or call your local gas service visitor.
Click here to acquire how to set a water heater airplane pilot light.
Effigy A: Typical Gas System
This illustration shows how gas is brought into the house from the street. You can discover a larger version of this image in the Additional Information.
Effigy B: Gas Organization Inside the House
This illustration shows how gas is delivered in the firm. Once you've located your master shutoff valves, characterization them. You can find a larger version of this epitome in the Additional Data.
Water shutoff valves
Photograph 5: Supply valves
Almost all water meters have one main shutoff valve direct before the meter and another directly after (Photograph 5). Where the meter is located depends on the climate in your surface area.
In cold climates (Fig. D), the meter and main shutoff valves are located inside, ordinarily in a basement or other warm area to forestall freezing. In milder climates (Fig. C), the meter and its ii shutoff valves may be attached to an exterior wall or nestled in an underground box with a removable hat.
Since these things can leak similar crazy and cause tremendous impairment, I'k replacing information technology with a standard supply stop as soon equally I'm done with this story.
Photo half-dozen: Water shutoff valves
The valve on the right in this photo is Marie'due south street-side main shutoff; the valve on the left is the business firm-side main shutoff. In newer homes, these will probably be brawl valves.
Learn how remove crud and replace your chief water shutoff valve here.
Photo 7: Supply stop for a toilet
Between the water main in the street and the meter, there's besides commonly a buried curb stop valve (accessible only past city workers wielding special long-handled wrenches) and a corporation stop, where your house water line hooks upwardly to the water main. Your city absolutely doesn't want you messing effectually with these concluding two valves.
They prefer you plow your water off or on using the main valve on the house side of the meter. This valve will normally be a gate-blazon valve, with a round knurled handle, requiring several full clockwise rotations to plough off. In newer homes, information technology could be a brawl valve.
In addition, near houses congenital today have small, localized shutoff valves called fixture supply stops (Photo seven) installed on the supply lines leading to toilets, faucets, dishwashers, washing machines, water softeners and water heaters. These supply stops usually have a minor round or oval handle that you turn clockwise two to four full turns to shut off the flow of water. Many older homes have them only at toilets, if at all. This can lead to corking family discord, since working on a unmarried drippy faucet can require shutting off h2o to the entire house at the master valve, leaving everyone shower-less, flush-less and waterless. With supply valves, you tin turn off the water to a single fixture while fixing or replacing that faucet.
If your plumbing system lacks supply stops, install them when you lot shut off the principal valve to repair a sink, toilet or appliance. Eventually you'll take supply stops at every fixture, and your family won't yell at you every fourth dimension they see you with a wrench in your paw. Think, fixture supply stops must be easily accessible; you can't drywall or plaster over them without installing an access console to reach them.
Supply terminate problems
Be aware of these common bug with fixture supply stops: Many water supply valves drip when turned off and then back on once more afterward an extended menstruum of disuse.
To gear up a drippy supply valve, endeavour gently tightening the packing nut (Photo 7) with a wrench, or opening and shutting the valve several times until the drip stops. If a supply valve but won't stop leaking, your only pick is to supersede it—which will require shutting off the principal valve. In cold climates, well-nigh people remember to close the supply shutoffs for their outdoor spigots to preclude freezing, merely many so forget to open the exterior spigot to drain the remaining water.
If the water trapped betwixt the spigot and supply shutoff valve freezes, information technology can burst that department of pipe. Since there's no water flowing through this brusque damaged section of pipe, there are no obvious leaks or sign of damage—all the same. Just when you plough the supply valve dorsum on in the spring and pressure returns to that pipe, the burst section of pipe volition leak like crazy—and oft go unnoticed for hours or days. 1 plumber told me he'south made dozens of repairs dealing with this mistake.
Photograph viii: Supply valves
Finally, many water ice makers and furnace humidifiers are fed by small flexible copper tubes that are continued to larger copper pipes via a very small T-handled device called a saddle valve (Photograph 8). These valves essentially bite into the larger pipe to feed the smaller one. Leaky saddle valves are a major cause of residential h2o damage and are no longer code-compliant in many areas. If you have saddle valves, replace them with standard supply stops. Since these things can leak like crazy and crusade tremendous damage, I'm replacing information technology with a standard supply end as soon as I'one thousand washed with this story.
Larn more nigh installing a valve for an ice maker here.
Figure C: Typical Warm-Weather H2o System
This illustration shows how water comes into the house in warm climates. You can discover a larger version of this paradigm in the Additional Information.
Figure D: Typical Cold-Weather Water System
This illustration shows how water comes into the firm in cold climates. You can detect a larger version of this image in the Boosted Information.
Boosted Data
- Figure A: Typical Gas Organization
- Figure B: Gas Organization Inside the House
- Figure C: Water system for warm climates
- Figure D: Water organization for common cold climates
Required Tools for this Projection
- Gas meter wrench shutoff tool
Required Materials for this Projection
Avoid concluding-minute shopping trips past having all your materials ready ahead of time. Hither's a listing.
- Stainless steel wire
Source: https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/how-to-locate-your-gas-shutoff-valve-and-water-shutoff-valve/
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