Prevent Water Damage by Locating Your Water Main Shutoff Before it Becomes an Emergency

9/24/2018 (Permalink)

Make your water main shut off easier to see with a clearly labelled tag from SERVPRO of Charlottesville.

If a pipe bursts or a leak happens in your home, the first thing you should do to prevent further damage is turn off the water.

Easier said than done, right?

If the leak is somewhere obvious, like a sink or toilet, then you may be able to turn off the water for that line by turning the valve that is located under that fixture. Usually it can be found under the sink or behind a toilet.

However, if you’re not sure where the leak is coming from, then you should turn off the water to the whole house. This means locating the water main shutoff. Here is where the adventure begins. Do you know where the shutoff is located? Could you locate it in an emergency? It might be worth it to locate and tag this shutoff before your pipes spring a leak.

You can try to locate the shutoff valve just by looking for it. You might look around the perimeter of the house as the valve will be on an exterior wall. If this is unsuccessful, you can check your inspection report from your purchase of the house if you still have it. This report will list the location of the main water shutoff.

Once you have found the shutoff, make sure that all members of your household know where it is. You may also want to tag it with a SERVPRO of Charlottesville tag so it’s easier to spot in an emergency.

If you’d like to receive a water shutoff tag, contact us!