A leak in your home is not something that will ever resolve itself on it’s own. In fact, it will only get worse with time, so it’s extremely important to know how to switch your water supply off to limit the damage that water can cause.
Do you know the location of your water shut off valve / stop cock? Unfortunately, many homeowners don’t. If you’re reading this article, it’s wise to immediately familiarise yourself with the location of your stop valve in case an emergency such as a burst pipe or excessive water flow happens unexpectedly.
Speed is everything
Gaining quick access to shut off your water supply is invaluable when water is quickly getting out of control. Stopping the flow early can be the difference between a puddle on the floor you can quickly mop up and an expensive multiroom disaster.
There can be more than one stop valve for different zones in a house. Where you have taps, for example in the kitchen, utility or bathroom, there is often a stop valve located directly under the fixture. Other common locations are behind the washing machine and inside the hot press.
If you’re unable to find any stop valves within your property, or you want to shut off the supply to the entire house you can turn off the water supply to the building using the internal stop cock. This is normally located where the mains water supply from the road enters the house – in most Irish houses the stop cock is located under the sink.
If you can’t find the internal stop cock, or it’s seized up (this is very common) you can turn the water off using the external stop cock outside your property.
Your external stop cock is connected to the main water pipe that supplies water to your home, it’s usually covered by a metal or plastic lid located on the road or footpath outside your home. Lift the lid using a flat head screwdriver and you should see a valve – this is your external stop cock.
Stop cocks are is different to stop valves under sinks or behind appliances that only stop the water supply to that specific zone or appliance and leaves the rest of the water supply in the building unaffected.
Different types of shut off valves
Some stop valves have a wheel that you turn to switch the water supply on or off, while others may have a lever style handle. To turn the water supply off the valve should be turned clockwise. To turn the supply back on the valve should be turned anticlockwise.
When should I switch off my water supply?
Not all burst pipes happen in minutes. In fact, suddenly walking up to water streaming through the ceiling, soaking carpets and wet walls is not usually something that happens outside of freezing weather events. Most burst pipes begin as a small leak that goes undetected, slowly causing significant damage without you even realising.
It’s very important when you spot an issue that could be caused by a leak – for example stains on the ceiling, the smell of mould or bubbling wallpaper – that you know how to switch off your water supply until you can fix the problem or get a plumber to carry out repairs.
Research tells us that the majority of people don’t do this – but unless you have a water flow monitoring system in your home it’s wise to shut off your water supply when you’re away for long periods, this is especially important for holiday homes that are frequently vacant.
Most water damage occurs from small problems that have gone unnoticed or have been ignored. If you spot a problem, try to isolate the water supply to the area and engage with a plumber without delay.
Turn your water supply off from your phone
A smart water security system like Leak Watch allows you to detect leaks early using sensors and switch your water supply off in seconds with your phone.
Leak Watch is launching soon, join the mailing list below and get early access to the product.
