How to Shut Off Water in a Plumbing Emergency

When water is pouring from a pipe, the first job is to stop it, and you cannot do that if you are hunting for the valve with a flashlight. A supply line can push out 6 to 12 gallons a minute or more, which is hundreds of gallons in an hour. Find your main shutoff now, on a dry afternoon. This guide shows where it usually is in Gwinnett County homes and how to close it.

Two Shutoffs, Not One

Most Gwinnett homes have two places you can stop the water to the whole house:

The valve at the house. This is the one you want. It is on the supply line where it enters the home, and it is yours to operate.
The valve at the meter. The meter sits in a box near the street, often under a concrete or plastic lid by the curb or driveway. Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources supplies water to most of the county. The valve in the meter box is on the utility's side and usually needs a meter key or long wrench. It is a backup, not the first choice.

If your water comes from the City of Buford or another provider, the bill tells you who to call about the meter.

Where to Look Inside

The line enters the house on the side nearest the street, usually. Look for a valve within a few feet of where the pipe comes through the wall or floor:

Garage. In slab houses the supply often comes up in the garage, near the water heater, along a wall facing the street.
Basement. On a wall near the front of the house, often near a hose spigot or the water heater.
Crawl space. Just inside the access hatch, or on a wall close to the front.
Utility closet or laundry room. Often beside the water heater or the washer connections.
Outside. Some homes have a valve on an exterior wall under a small cover.

Look for a pressure reducing valve, a bell shaped brass fitting on the main line. It is not the shutoff, but the shutoff is usually right next to it. Tag the real valve with a bright label so anyone in the house can find it.

Step by Step

Find the valve. Look first in the places above, within a few feet of where the supply enters the home.
Close it. A lever (ball valve) closes with a quarter turn, so the handle sits across the pipe. A round handle (gate valve) closes clockwise, usually several full turns.
Check that the water stopped. Open the lowest faucet in the house. It should run for a moment, then stop.
Relieve the pressure. Open a few faucets, starting at the highest, to drain the pipes. Flush a toilet once.
Turn off the water heater. On an electric unit, switch off its breaker. On a gas unit, set the control to pilot. A heater firing without a full tank can be damaged.

If a valve will not turn, do not force it. Old gate valves can snap, and then you have a bigger leak and no way to stop it.

Know Your Valve Type

Ball valve

A lever handle. Parallel to the pipe means open, across the pipe means closed. These are quick, give a clear signal, and are less prone to sticking than older types. Newer homes tend to have them.

Gate valve

A round handle like an outdoor spigot. Clockwise to close, many turns. On older houses these can seize or leak around the stem. If yours is stiff or crusty, a plumber can replace it with a ball valve. Do that on a calm day.

Globe valve

Round handle, bulbous body. Works like a gate valve and restricts flow more. Rarely used for main shutoffs.

Other Valves Worth Finding

Fixture stops. Small valves under sinks and behind toilets let you stop a single fixture. Turn them clockwise.
Water heater inlet. On the cold pipe going into the tank. Close it if the heater is leaking.
Washing machine valves. Often the first to fail. Close them when you leave for a trip.
Outdoor spigots. Many homes have a shutoff inside, usually in the garage, basement, or crawl space, near where the pipe passes through the wall. The hard freeze around Christmas 2022 burst many pipes in metro Atlanta, including ones feeding outdoor spigots. Close the inside shutoff and drain the spigot before a freeze.

If You Cannot Shut It Off

Try the fixture stop, if the leak is at one fixture.
Go to the meter box and use a meter key or a long wrench on the valve there. Do not lean into a dark box. Check for insects and use a flashlight.
Call Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources and ask whether they can shut off the water at the meter.
Call (770) 285-5619 while you keep trying. The phone line is answered 24/7 and we will connect you with a local plumber. Tell them the valve is stuck so they know what to bring.

After the Water Is Off

Soak up standing water with towels, a mop, or a wet vac. Water left on floors and in drywall starts doing damage quickly.
Take photos and video for your insurer before you clean up.
Move furniture and valuables away from the wet area.
If water reached outlets or the panel, do not touch them. Turn off power at the breaker if it is safe to reach, and otherwise stay clear and call your electric utility. Inside the City of Lawrenceville, the city runs its own electric service.
Call a plumber. Ask for the price before any work starts.

When the work is done, open the main valve slowly to avoid a pressure surge and a banging pipe (water hammer). Open the highest faucet first so air can escape, then work down.

Practice Once a Year

Close and reopen the main valve once a year. A valve that has not moved in a decade is the one that fails when you need it. Find your gas shutoff while you are at it. Gas appliances and a gas meter are separate from the water system, and the gas utility handles the meter. If you smell gas, leave and call 911 and your gas utility from outside. Related: how to stop a burst pipe until the plumber arrives and what to do in the first hour after a pipe bursts at night.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is my main water shutoff valve?

Usually where the supply line enters the house, in a garage, basement, crawl space, or utility closet near the front wall, often near the water heater. There is also a valve in the meter box near the street, which normally needs a meter key.

Which way do I turn a water shutoff valve?

Clockwise to close. A round gate valve needs several full turns. A lever ball valve closes with a quarter turn until the handle sits across the pipe.

What if the shutoff valve will not turn?

Do not force it. Try the valve in the meter box with a meter key, or call Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources to ask whether they can shut it off. Then call (770) 285-5619 and we will connect you with a local plumber. A seized valve is worth replacing before the next emergency.

Should I turn off the water heater too?

Yes, if the water will be off for more than a short time. On an electric unit, switch off its breaker. On a gas unit, set it to pilot. This keeps the heater from firing without a full tank.

How do I turn the water back on safely?

Open the main valve slowly to avoid a pressure surge. Then open the highest faucet and let it run until the air clears, working down to lower fixtures.

Should I shut off my water when I go on vacation?

It is a good habit for longer trips. It stops a small failure from becoming a flood while nobody is home.