Honest Bob Co

Find Your Shutoffs + Freeze Protection

A free, plain-English guide. Walk your house once on a calm day, so you know exactly what to turn when water is on the floor.

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v1.0 – Oct 2026 · Made with AI help, then checked by hand against public sources.

1. The main water shutoff

What it is: the one valve that turns off water to the whole house (proper name: main shutoff valve).

Where to look: near where the water line comes into the house. Common spots:

  • Basement or crawlspace wall, often the side facing the street
  • Next to the water meter, if your meter is inside
  • Utility room, near the water heater, or in the garage
  • Warm climates: outside near the foundation or in a covered box
  • On a well: near the pressure tank

What it looks like, and what OFF looks like:

  • Lever handle (a ball valve): a quarter turn. Lever across the pipe = OFF. Lever in line with the pipe = ON.
  • Round wheel handle (a gate or globe valve): turn clockwise until it stops = OFF. It takes several turns.
Drawing of a lever handle on a pipe: lever across the pipe is closed, lever in line with the pipe is open
Lever handle: across the pipe = closed, in line with the pipe = open.
Drawing of a round wheel handle with a clockwise arrow
Round handle: clockwise = closed.

No valve inside? Some homes only have the valve at the meter box by the street (often called the curb stop). It may need a special key and usually belongs to the water utility, so call them before you use it.

Stuck valve? Don't force it with a big wrench. Old valves can break. Have a licensed plumber replace it before an emergency.

2. Sink, toilet and appliance shutoffs

Most leaks start at one fixture. These small valves (proper name: supply stops) stop that one leak without shutting down the house.

  • Under a sink: usually two valves. Hot on the LEFT, cold on the RIGHT.
  • Behind a toilet: one valve, low on the wall or floor, cold water only.
  • Washing machine: two valves behind it, hot left, cold right.
  • Water heater: the shutoff is on the cold supply line going into the heater.
Drawing of two shutoffs: under the sink, an oval knob turned clockwise is off; behind the toilet, a lever across the water line is off
Under the sink: OFF is clockwise until snug, don't force it. Behind the toilet: OFF is the lever across the water line.

Two shapes you'll see: an angle stop comes out of the wall and turns up at a right angle. A straight stop comes up out of the floor and goes straight up.

Drawing of a straight stop coming up from the floor, with the outlet on top and the handle on the side
Straight stop: comes up from the floor, outlet on top.
Drawings of two angle stops, one with a lever handle and one with an oval knob, each showing the inlet and the outlet
Angle stops: lever handle or oval knob. Water comes in at the inlet and leaves at the side outlet.

What OFF looks like: oval or round knob, turn clockwise until it stops. Small lever (quarter-turn), lever across the pipe.

No valve under the fixture? Some older homes don't have one. Use the main shutoff, and ask a plumber to add one.

3. Outdoor spigots

An outdoor spigot (also called a hose bib or sillcock) often has its own shutoff inside the house, on the pipe running to that wall.

Blue water pipe in a basement ceiling running to the outside wall, with a shutoff valve on the line to the outdoor spigot
Basement ceiling: the line to the outdoor spigot, with its indoor shutoff. Photo: Tomwsulcer, Wikimedia Commons (CC0).
Two frost-free spigots pulled out of a wall, one new and one with mineral buildup, showing the long body
Frost-free spigots have a long body that reaches inside the wall. A hose left on can still split them. Photo: Tim36272, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

4. Freeze protection basics

  • Disconnect, drain and store garden hoses.
  • Close the indoor shutoff for each outdoor spigot, then open the spigot outside to drain it.
  • Insulate pipes in unheated spaces: crawlspace, garage, attic.
  • Keep the garage door closed if water lines run there.
  • In very cold weather, open sink cabinets on outside walls and let cold water drip from a faucet served by exposed pipes.
  • Away from home? Keep the heat at 55°F or higher.
Copper pipes above a ceiling, one wrapped in insulation and one bare
Insulated pipe next to a bare one. Photo: Achim Hering, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).

If a pipe freezes

  • Keep the faucet open. Running water helps melt the ice.
  • Warm the pipe with a hair dryer, a heating pad, or towels soaked in hot water. Never use an open flame.
  • Can't find it, can't reach it, or can't thaw it? Call a licensed plumber.

If a pipe bursts

Shut off the main first, then call a plumber. If water is near outlets, cords or your electrical panel, stay out of it and call a pro.

5. Your 10-minute walk-through

Tap to check. (Checks stay on this page only while it's open.)

Want the full room-by-room map with space to mark every valve? See the Shutoff Valve House Map and our other winter printables.

Sources

General homeowner info, not a substitute for a licensed plumber. Gas and electrical are jobs for a pro. If you ever smell gas, leave the house and call your gas utility or 911 from outside.

v1.0 – Oct 2026 · Made with AI help, then checked by hand against public sources. Honest Bob Co. — For the people who fix it.