Where Is Your Main Water Shutoff? (Find It Before You Need It)

In a plumbing emergency — a burst pipe, a failed supply line, a water heater that's flooding the utility room — the first thing you need to do is shut off the water. If you don't know where your main shutoff is, you're going to lose precious minutes while water damages your home.

In Metro Detroit homes, the main water shutoff is almost always in one of three places: in the basement near the front foundation wall (where the water service enters from the street), in the utility room near the water meter, or in a crawl space access panel. In homes without basements, it's often in a utility closet or under the kitchen sink.

There are two types of shutoff valves: a gate valve (round wheel handle) and a ball valve (lever handle). Ball valves are more reliable — a quarter turn closes them completely. Gate valves can seize over time, especially if they haven't been operated in years. If your main shutoff is a gate valve that hasn't been turned in a decade, it may not close fully when you need it.

There's also a shutoff at the street — the curb stop — but that requires a special key tool to operate and is typically handled by the water utility. Don't count on it in an emergency.

Our recommendation: find your main shutoff today. Turn it off and back on to make sure it operates freely. If it's a gate valve that's stiff or won't fully close, call us to replace it with a ball valve. It's a simple job that could save you thousands in water damage.