Finding the Main Water Valve in a Tuscaloosa Home
If a pipe bursts, closing the main valve quickly limits the damage. Find yours now, on a calm day, so you're not searching with water running.
Request a plumberWhere to look
Follow the water line from the street to the house. In many homes the valve is where the line enters: in a utility room, crawl space, basement, garage or near the water heater. There's usually another valve in the meter box by the street.
Open or closed
A lever handle is closed when it sits across the pipe; a round handle closes clockwise. Turn old valves steadily, not hard, so they don't break.
Test it
Close the valve, open a faucet and wait a minute. If water still flows, the valve isn't sealing. Open it slowly again and have it replaced.
Fixture valves
Each sink, toilet, washer and the water heater should have its own small valve, so you can stop one leak without cutting off the whole house.
Tell everyone
Show everyone in the house where the main is. In a rental, tell new roommates on move-in day.
If it won't close
Contact the water provider about the meter valve and see emergency plumbing.
Crawl space access
If your main is in the crawl space, keep the hatch clear and a flashlight nearby. In an emergency you won't want to move boxes or search for a light before you can reach the valve.
Label it
Tie a bright tag to the valve or paint the handle so it's easy to find in poor light. Write its location inside a kitchen cabinet door so a house sitter or new roommate can find it too.
More plumbing guides
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