Find your main water shutoff before you need it

When a pipe bursts, every minute of running water means more damage. The single most useful thing you can do is shut the water off at the main. Find it now, while nothing is wrong.

Where to look

• In town: near the street in a ground box with a metal or plastic lid, at the water meter. You may need a meter key.
• Inside: where the main line enters the house, often in a utility room, garage or under the kitchen sink.
• On a well: at the pressure tank, or turn off the breaker marked "well" or "pump."

How to use it

Turn a round handle clockwise until it stops. A lever valve is off when the handle sits across the pipe. Then open a faucet on the lowest floor to drain the lines.

Test it once a year

Old valves stick. If yours won't turn or still lets water through, call us and we'll replace it before the day you need it.