Let’s talk about water leaks and what you need to do if you have one. There are a few different types of water leaks you might encounter and we’ll cover each one.
Spraying Water
If you have water spraying out underneath the sink or next to a toilet, the most important thing to do is to shut off the water to the whole house. Almost all houses have a water shutoff valve that shuts off all your water inside your house. Some older houses don’t have one.
That shutoff valve could be underneath a bathroom sink. It could be next to your hot water heater on a wall. It could be behind the washer in your laundry room. There’s not a single spot where you might find it. It’s going to be in one of those places if you have such a valve installed.
Turning Off Water at the Water Meter
If you do not have a shut-off valve to the house, you can shut the water off at the water meter. The water company doesn’t like people to shut the water off from there because it’s their meter and they have an “if you break it, you buy it” attitude about it.
Some water meter shut offs are super easy. You can actually do it with your hand. Some of them will require a little crescent wrench.
But the best way to shut them off is with what’s called a meter key. It’s about three feet long and has a hook or two bars on the end. You stick it over the shutoff at the water meter and you turn it.
There are two holes on the valve that will be lined up when the water is turned off. The water company uses those two holes to slide a lock through and lock the water off if you don’t pay your water bill. If you shut it off from there, you want to line those two holes up, and then your water will be off. We always recommend that you have a water shutoff valve installed so you can turn off the water to the home in case of an emergency and you don’t have to mess with the water company’s valve.
Sometimes You Need a Professional
You can also call Rocketman Plumbing for water leak repair. We’ll come out, fix the leak, turn the water back on and life will be awesome again. We monitor our calls 24 hours a day, so we can come when you need us.
It’s good to know where your shutoff valve is before you have an emergency. It’s also good to know that it works.
You also have a shutoff valve on top of your hot water heater. That shuts off hot water if you have a hot water leak. Then you have time to get someone out to fix the leak. But in the meantime, you would still have cold water and your toilets would still work.
I hope you have no plumbing problems. But if you do, call Rocketman Plumbing for fast service: (505) 243-1227.