How to Turn the Water Off in Your Home
Knowing how to turn the water off in your home is essential, especially during an emergency. A burst pipe or leaking appliance can cause major damage within minutes, so it helps to understand where your stop valves are and how to isolate the water safely. This guide explains the different ways to turn off your water supply and how to isolate water at home depending on your system.
After reading this guide, we recommend taking a few minutes to locate the valves in your property so you feel confident using them if you ever need to act quickly.
Heppelthwaite – The Red Van Plumbers cover a large part of South East England. Please contact us if you require a local handyman, plumber or heating engineer. Call 01628 533 550 or message us. We also provide renewable energy services such as Heat Pumps and Solar Panels.
Turning Off the Mains Water Supply
The mains water stop tap controls the water entering your home. Turning this valve off stops new water from flowing through your pipes.
Where to find it
Most homes have the main stop tap:
- Under the kitchen sink
- In a utility cupboard
- Near the front door
- In a basement (if you have one)
Turn the valve clockwise to close it.
If you cannot find your internal stop tap, you can sometimes turn the supply off outside at the street valve. These valves are often covered and may require a special key. Always check with your water provider before accessing a street valve, as you could accidentally turn off your neighbour’s water.
How to Isolate Water to Individual Appliances
Many modern homes have isolation valves fitted on pipes leading to appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, taps and toilets. These valves allow you to turn off the water to one appliance without shutting off your entire home.
Types of isolation valves
- Lever valves – turn the lever a quarter turn to stop the flow
- Screw-head valves – turn the slot using a flat-head screwdriver
Isolation valves sit close to the appliance, often in cupboards or behind access panels.
These are useful for minor leaks or repairs where you only need to stop water to one item.
Direct Feed (Mains-Fed Systems)
If your home has a direct feed system, cold water runs straight from the mains. Turning off the main stop tap will shut off most of the cold water supply in your home. However, if you have a hot water cylinder, you may also need to turn off the valve feeding it to stop remaining water flowing through the system.
Indirect Feed (Tank-Fed Systems)
Many older homes use indirect systems, where cold water is stored in a loft tank or cistern. Even if you turn off the mains stop tap, the water stored in the tank can still feed:
- Bathroom taps
- Toilets
- Showers
- Hot water cylinders
To stop this flow, turn off the valve on the outlet from the cold water storage cistern or tie up the float valve to stop the tank from refilling.
Turning Off the Hot Water Supply
How you isolate hot water depends on the system in your home.
Combi boilers:
A combi boiler heats water directly from the mains, so turning off the main stop tap will isolate your hot water.
Regular and system boilers with cylinders:
If you have a cylinder, the hot water is fed from the cold water storage cistern. You will need to turn off or isolate the valve feeding the cylinder to stop the supply.
Isolating Water When Draining a Central Heating System
If you need to drain your heating system, you must prevent it from refilling.
Vented systems
These have a feed and expansion cistern that tops up the water automatically. You can isolate the system by:
- Turning off the valve supplying the cistern
- Or tying up the float arm to stop water entering the tank
Sealed systems
These systems stay closed unless topped up through a filling loop. Keep the filling loop closed while draining down the system.
Using a Surestop Water Switch
Surestop Water Switches make it easier to control your mains water. They use a simple switch rather than a traditional stop tap and are helpful in emergencies where every second counts.
Surestop can be helpful for homeowners, landlords and tenants, especially in emergencies.
If you would like one installed, our team can supply and fit the system for you.
Need Help Turning Your Water Off?
If you cannot find your stop tap, or your water will not isolate properly, our plumbers can help. We support homeowners and businesses across Bucks, Berks, Surrey, South Oxfordshire, West London and Hertfordshire.
If you are looking for plumbing and heating services near you, check to see the Areas We Cover.
Contact our plumbing and heating team
01628 533 550
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