The Emergency Shutoffs Every Homeowner Should Find on Day One

A handful of valves and switches stop most home emergencies at the source: the main water valve, the small valves at each fixture, the water heater's supply, the gas meter valve, and the main breaker. Find them all in your first week, label them, and gently test the water valves, so nobody is hunting with a flashlight the night a washer hose splits. The gas meter is the exception: find it and learn your utility's rule, but don't practice on it. This expands the shutoff step in our first-30-days checklist.

Find these first:

1. The main water shutoff, and the valve at the meter.
2. The valves under sinks and toilets, and the washer's two valves.
3. The water heater's cold-water valve, plus its gas valve or breaker.
4. The inside valves for outdoor faucets.
5. The gas meter valve.
6. The main breaker, and the panel labels.
7. Propane or fuel-oil shutoffs, if you have them.

Then run the day-one routine.

The Main Water Shutoff

This valve stops every pipe at once. Moen says it's usually near the water meter: in a basement, on an outside wall, in a garage or crawl space, or close to the street. Ready.gov says to tag it, make sure everyone in the house knows where it is, and make sure it closes completely; a valve that's rusted open or won't close all the way should be replaced. Our main water shutoff guide has the full how-to.

The meter, the curb stop, and the meter key

There's usually another valve at the water meter, and whether you may touch it depends on your utility. The Eugene Water & Electric Board says to use only the customer hand valve at the meter; operating its curb stop is prohibited by state law. Seattle Public Utilities lets customers operate only meters with a top shut-off valve; older ones need a special tool, and only its crews operate them. Austin Water says to try your own valve first and use the City valve in the meter box only if you can't find yours or it's damaged, which may take a water meter key. Ask yours; if the answer is no, put its emergency number on the tag at your main.

Fixture Shutoffs Under Sinks and Toilets

Most fixtures have their own small valve, a stop or angle stop, on the supply line, so one toilet or sink can be shut off without the whole house. BrassCraft lists faucets, toilets, dishwashers, icemakers, and washing machines. Moen says to look under the sink, behind a shower through a closet access, or in an access panel by the tub. A quarter-turn stop closes with a 90-degree turn, a multi-turn stop with a few turns (BrassCraft), and Moen and Fluidmaster both say to turn clockwise to close.

How to test them gently

1. Put a towel and flashlight under the valve.
2. Turn it clockwise by hand until it stops. No pliers. If it won't move with steady hand pressure, leave it and add it to the plumber list.
3. Check that it holds. Moen's check is to open the faucet to make sure the water is off. For a toilet, flush: if the tank refills, the valve isn't closing.
4. Open it fully again and watch the stem: one that drips, or didn't stop the water, goes on the list.

The washing machine valves

The washer's hot and cold hoses screw onto two valves of their own. GE's washer manual says to turn them off when the washer isn't in use, to relieve pressure on the hoses and limit leakage if one breaks, and to shut them off before a long vacation. GE also recommends new fill hoses every five years. Test these valves the same gentle way.

The Water Heater: Cold Supply and Gas or Power

A tank heater has its own valve on the cold line feeding it, usually close to the heater, A.O. Smith says. Closing it stops water flowing into the heater. Close it by hand, then reopen it fully; the full drain sequence is in our flush guide. Then find the heat source:

• Gas: A.O. Smith describes a control knob that turns to "off" and a separate valve on the gas supply line, usually within a few feet of the heater, closed when its handle is at a right angle to the pipe. Label both and leave them alone: once the gas is off, the pilot must be relit, and PG&E says to call it or a qualified professional if you can't.
• Electric: A.O. Smith notes many heaters have two breakers, and both must be off to cut the power. Label them and leave them on.

Inside Shutoffs for Outdoor Faucets

Many outdoor faucets have a valve inside the house on the pipe feeding them. The Red Cross's freeze advice is to close those inside valves, open the outdoor faucets to drain, and leave them open. Trace each faucet's pipe inside, label its valve, and test it: close it, open the outdoor faucet, and the flow should stop after a short run. If it keeps running, the valve isn't holding. Reset both afterward unless it's freezing season. Our outdoor faucet guide covers the fall routine.

The Gas Meter Shutoff

Where it is and what a quarter turn does

PG&E says the valve is normally near the meter, usually on the side or front of the building or in a cabinet inside or outside. SoCalGas says it's on the pipe coming up from the ground, usually 6 to 8 inches up, running parallel with the pipe. Closing it takes a quarter turn either way with a wrench; PG&E says it's closed when the tang, the part the wrench fits, is crosswise to the pipe.

When to close it: your utility's rule

• PG&E: "Do not shut off the gas to your home unless you smell gas, hear it escaping, see a broken gas line or suspect a leak."
• SoCalGas: "DO NOT turn off your meter unless you smell natural gas, hear the sound of gas escaping or see other signs of a leak--and ONLY if it's safe to do so."
• Nicor Gas, for severe weather: "Do not turn off the natural gas meter to your home or business, even if you are evacuated. Only Nicor Gas or emergency personnel should turn the valve off."
• Ready.gov: "If you smell gas or hear a blowing or hissing noise, open a window and get everyone out quickly. Turn off the gas using the outside main valve if you can and call the gas company from a neighbor's home." Procedures differ by meter, it adds, so ask your gas company.

Getting people out comes first in every version. Atmos Energy says to leave immediately and call 911 and the utility from a safe distance, and Nicor says not to go back inside until the company or emergency personnel say it's safe. Never stay in, or go back in, to reach a valve.

Never turn it back on yourself

PG&E says never to turn the meter back on yourself: PG&E or another qualified professional inspects first and relights the pilots, which can take a while. SoCalGas allows only its field employees to turn gas back on at the meter. Ready.gov: "NEVER attempt to turn the gas back on yourself."

Gas valves at each appliance

PG&E says most gas appliances have their own nearby shutoff that cuts gas to that appliance with a quarter turn. Find and label the ones for the range, dryer, furnace, and water heater, and leave them open.

The Main Electrical Breaker

The main breaker, or the main fuse in an older panel, turns off the house's power in one move. Square D's instructions have installers put a "Service Disconnect" label near the disconnect handle on the service panel, so look for that; its "Main" label goes on a subpanel's main breaker. If you can't tell, ask an electrician. You don't need to flip it to test it, and the panel cover stays on: the CPSC notes panel boxes are usually live even with the main off.

When to use it, and when to stay away

• Water near wiring, if the panel is safe to reach. FEMA: "If it is safe to do so, turn off electricity at the main breaker or fuse box to prevent electric shock." CenterPoint Energy says only if the area around the panel is completely dry. Ready.gov says to switch off the individual circuits first.
• Never with wet hands or on a wet floor. Boston's Office of Emergency Management: "Do not touch a circuit breaker or replace a fuse with wet hands or while standing on a wet surface." The CDC says don't enter standing water to reach the main; call an electrician.
• Water at the panel or outlets: hands off. Call the electric utility to disconnect power from outside (CenterPoint).
• Not when you smell gas. SoCalGas says not to use switches or anything else that can spark. Leave.

After a flood, the CDC says, the power stays off until a qualified electrician inspects. For a neighborhood outage, see what to do when the power goes out.

Label the panel

Square D's instructions call for every breaker to be identified on the directory label. The Electrical Safety Foundation International suggests a circuit map: switch off one breaker at a time, note each outlet and light it serves, and write it down, so you know exactly which circuit to shut off. If one keeps tripping, see why a breaker keeps tripping.

Propane and Fuel-Oil Tanks

A propane tank has a main supply valve. AmeriGas's leak steps: call from a safe distance; no flames, lights, appliances, or phones; close the tank valve clockwise if it's safe; get everyone out. It then checks the whole system before appliances are used. For oil heat, the Newbury, New Hampshire, fire department says the burner's emergency switch is typically at the top of the basement stairs on a red plate, with possible fuel shutoffs at the tank and burner. Label them and ask your supplier when to use them. For smoke or fire, get out and call 911.

The Day-One Routine

1. Walk the water path: main valve, meter, every sink and toilet, the washer, the water heater, and the outdoor-faucet valves.
2. Test the water valves one at a time, gently. List any that stick, won't close, or drip.
3. Find, but don't turn, the gas valves. Then find the panel and main breaker and check the labels one breaker at a time.
4. Photograph and label each shutoff, and keep the photos in one shared note with your utilities' emergency numbers.
5. Stage the tools: an adjustable wrench near the gas meter but not on it (PG&E says 12 to 15 inches, SoCalGas 12 or more), a meter key if your water utility allows one, and a flashlight by the main water valve.
6. Show the household. Ready.gov says every responsible member should know how to shut off each utility.
7. Book the fixes with a plumber now, not the night you need them.

Shutoffs only help once someone knows there's water on the floor. A leak sensor by the water heater, washer, and sinks gives that warning; see our leak sensor setup guide and smart leak detector picks. If a pipe bursts anyway, here's what to do in the first hour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I practice turning off the gas?

No. Ready.gov says to learn your meter's procedure but not to actually turn off the gas when practicing.

What if a water valve won't turn?

Don't force it. Use the next valve upstream, usually the main, until a plumber replaces it. If the main itself won't close fully, Ready.gov says to replace it; until then, the water utility's emergency line is your backup.

Should I shut off the water when I travel?

Our main shutoff guide covers the main. GE says to shut off the washer's supply for long vacations, and in cold weather the Red Cross says to keep the heat no lower than 55°F.

The Bottom Line

Give the shutoffs one hour of your first week. Test the water valves gently and fix the ones that fail. Find and label the gas valves without turning them, and learn your utility's meter rule: leave first when you smell gas, and only the utility turns gas back on. Never touch the panel with wet hands or while standing on a wet floor or in water. Then photograph, label, and show the household.

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