How to Find Your Main Water Shut-Off in a Fort Wayne Home

Why it matters

A burst pipe or failed supply hose can put out several gallons a minute. Closing the main shut-off stops it, and it is the first step in every plumbing emergency. City Utilities suggests finding the valve, making sure it works, tagging the handle with a bright color and telling everyone in the house where it is (Fort Wayne City Utilities, Cold Weather Precautions).

Where to look

Basement homes (most of Fort Wayne)

The water service line usually comes from the street straight to the front of the house and enters through the basement floor or front wall. Look on the street-side wall near the floor. You will usually find the water meter there with a valve on each side. The valve on the street side of the meter is the main shut-off; the one on the house side lets you work on the house without disturbing the meter.

Crawlspace homes

Look where the line comes through the foundation, often near the front. Some homes have a second valve where the pipe rises into the house, near the water heater or in a utility room.

Slab homes

Check the utility room near the water heater, a closet on an outside wall, or the garage.

Condos and townhomes

Look in a utility closet or near the water heater. Some buildings have one valve for several units; ask the association.

Types of valves

• Gate valve (round wheel handle): turn clockwise until it stops. Old gate valves can stick or break, so turn firmly but do not force it with a wrench.
• Ball valve (lever handle): a quarter turn. When the lever is across the pipe, it is closed.

If your main valve is an old gate valve that barely turns, replacing it with a ball valve is a small job that pays off in an emergency.

The curb stop

There is also a valve near the property line, the curb stop, which marks where the city's part of the service line ends and yours begins (Fort Wayne City Utilities, Remove Lead Water Lines). It usually sits under a small cap in the lawn or parkway and needs a long curb key to operate. If you cannot shut off water inside the house, call City Utilities at 311.

Fixture valves

Most toilets and sinks have small valves under or behind them, and the water heater has a cold-water valve on top. For a single leaking fixture, closing its valve lets the rest of the house keep water. Older fixture valves often seize; quarter-turn replacements are inexpensive.

Practice once

Close the main, open a faucet to confirm the water stops, then reopen the main slowly. If it will not close or it leaks at the stem afterward, it is time to replace it.

Related services

• Emergency Plumber: Burst pipes, flooding, sewer backups and failed water heaters: what to do first, then request help.
• Frozen & Burst Pipes: Thawing frozen lines, repairing burst pipes and protecting basements, crawlspaces and garages from the next freeze.
• Leak Detection & Repair: Finding and fixing hidden leaks: pipes in walls and ceilings, slab and basement leaks, high water bills.

Sources: Fort Wayne City Utilities, Cold Weather Precautions; Fort Wayne City Utilities, Remove Lead Water Lines; American Red Cross, Frozen Pipes.