Whole House Water Shut-Off

Repair help for the do-it-yourselfer.
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Moderators: Greg, Mark, mhrAJ333, JD

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bigedschukar
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2012 1:56 pm
Location: Hempstead, TX

Hey ya'll,

I can't seem to find a main water shut off for our home, either inside or outside. All of the plumbing fixtures have valves which is great, but I can't find a main. There is a valve next to the water heater but that didn't seem to do anything. I even closed valves at our well and the water just kept running. What am I missing here? I was reading on here that a main can sometimes be located under the home, but before I go crawling around under there... Does anyone know where it is usually located? Obviously it will vary from set-up to set-up, but any ideas are greatly appreciated!

Thank you!!
- Big Ed
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Greg
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Posts: 5696
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

Main shutoffs can be anywhere as well as no where. It is highly recommended that you have a shutoff located IN the home so you can find it FAST when needed.
I recommend a 1/4 turn brass or stainless ball valve, NO PLASTIC they tend to fail when you need them most. Second choice is a brass Gate valve. No stop valves, they have a rubber washer that may fail when needed as well.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
1987Commodore
Posts: 383
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 9:53 pm
Location: Steuben County, NY

We don't have a well, but our shutoff is where the pipe emerges from the ground underneath.
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JD
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Posts: 2696
Joined: Sun Feb 25, 2007 11:57 pm
Location: Fresno, CA
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Start your search in the water heater compartment. Your main water supply line will split at or very near the water heater, sending water to the water heater for hot and the other side of the split is your main cold water line. Backtrack from there. Usually it will be right before the split or where the pipe comes out of the ground.
☯JD♫
Today is PERFECT!

All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
countrydan
Posts: 82
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2013 3:51 pm
Location: s/w michigan

I have a main shut off ball valve in my crawl space right after the pressure switch for the well pump.
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