Turn off the Water to Your Home in an Emergency
When it comes to knowing how to turn off water in your home during an emergency situation, it is best to be prepared ahead of time!
Most homes in the Flagstaff area will have a shut off valve in the garage or 2 water meter boxes at the street. Follow these instructions for shutting off your water:
Locate the shut off
If it is a lever type handle ("port ball-valve"), turn the valve handle perpendicular to the pipe (90 degrees). This should securely shut off the water to your home.
If it is a round handle, carefully rotate the handle clockwise until it stops, being cautious not to muscle the handle and over-tighten. These "gate valves" commonly break! This should shut off your water to your house.
FULL PORT BALL VALVE (OPEN)
FULL PORT BALL VALVE (CLOSED)
GATE VALVE (TURN TO CLOSE)
Note: If you have two Water Meter Boxes, most often the one that is closest to your home will have the shut off valve in it. Stay out of the City's Meter Box (the one farthest from your home) and do not turn off the City valve, as this is designed for authorized use only; if it requires a "water key" do not use it. Use the secondary box closest to your home instead, as this is designed for owner use.
Now that you have stopped the water flowing call Your Plumber immediately! We will fix your plumbing problem and restore the water to your home.
We recommend installing a Full Port Ball-Valve shut off (the lever-type handle) in your garage or other accessible point. This type of shut off valve is proven to be 100% dependable, and when it snows you won't have to locate the meter and dig. The older style Gate Valve shut off commonly break when you need them the most.