The moment your house floods is not the moment to ask where the shutoff valve is or to go hunting for your tools.
If a pipe ruptures, a toilet won’t unstop, a giant bubble of water is forming on the ceiling, your basement is filling with water, or your water heater is leaking, you need to act right away.
Make it a little easier on yourself by preparing ahead for a plumbing emergency.
Locate Your Main Water Shutoff Valve
The main water shutoff valve is the place where you can turn the single supply of water to your home on or off. No matter where the flood or leak is, you can stop it by turning off the main valve—as long as the water is coming from the pipes.
To prepare for an emergency, locate your main valve and make sure other members of your household know where it is and how to turn it off, too.
The main valve is typically located inside the house in an out-of-the-way place, such as a basement, garage, or laundry room. In the Pacific Northwest, homes don’t usually have main valves on an exterior wall but some homes in warmer climates do.
Look for either a circular valve handle or a lever-style handle and test it out to make sure you know how to use it.
Keep Important Plumbing Tools Available
Designate a tool bag just for emergency plumbing disasters and find a spot where you can always access it quickly.
Experts (and Reddit commenters) recommend you keep these tools handy:
- Pipe cutter and tubing cutter.
- An end stop is a cap you can install on the end of a pipe that’s gushing water.
- Standard coupling to stop a leaking pipe or to fit two pipes together.
- Pipe repair clamps to seal leaks temporarily, until a professional arrives.
- Snake auger to break up clogs and stop the overflow of a toilet when a plunger won’t work.
- Battery-powered pump, cordless transfer pump, or even a pump attachment for a drill can substitute if you lose power and your sump pump stops working.
- Rescue tape.
Get A Professional Plumbing Checkup
Regular plumbing checkups can stop a leak before it happens. Our plumbing inspection includes a full check of your home plumbing, including faucets, angle stops, toilets, and washer hoses. We also thoroughly check your water heater or tankless system and conduct a water pressure test.
If anything looks like it might cause a problem in the future, we work with you to see how we can help you resolve it.
During A Plumbing Emergency, Turn These Off Immediately
If the worst happens and you do have a major leak, turn off:
- Your main water valve. Now’s your moment: Since you identified it earlier, you can go straight to the valve and shut it off.
- Your water heater. If the leak involves your water heater, turn it off right away. First, shut off the supply of gas by turning the valve on the water heater itself. If your water heater heats using electricity, turn off the breaker labeled as the one supplying your water heater. The breaker might be in a separate box close to the water heater itself.
SOURCES
How to Find the Main Water Shutoff Valve in Your Home for Repairs and More, thespruce.com, Timothy Dale, updated February 14, 2026 (accessed May 29, 2026)
The Emergency Repair Supplies Every Homeowner Should Have on Hand, lifehacker.com, Jeff Somers, January 21, 2026 (accessed May 29, 2026)
What Counts as a Plumbing Emergency?, angi.com, Mizuki Hisaka, updated April 10, 2026 (accessed May 29, 2026)
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