Find the main
The main shutoff is usually where the supply line enters the house — a crawl-space wall, a garage, or near the water heater — with a second valve at the meter box near the street.
Find it in daylight, in June, not by phone flashlight with water rising. Tag it so anyone in the house can find it.
Test that it turns
Valves that have not moved in years seize. Gently close and reopen the main once a season; if it will not budge, does not fully stop flow, or weeps afterward, have it replaced on your schedule instead of failing on the storm's.
Fixture stops — under sinks, behind toilets — deserve the same occasional exercise. They are your first line for local leaks.
Storm-week decisions
If you evacuate, closing the main is cheap insurance: storm-shaken pipes, falling limbs, and pressure events cannot flood a house that is not fed. Water heaters should be shut off (power or gas, plus their supply valve) if the house may flood.
For the full pre-storm sequence — HVAC, water, power, and generator safety — our Storm Center carries the complete operational guide.
- Locate and tag the main shutoff
- Exercise the valve once a season
- Know the meter-box valve as backup
- Close the main if evacuating
- Shut down the water heater if flooding is possible
After the storm
Reopen the main slowly and listen: the sound of running water with every fixture off means a leak found you. Close it again and call.
If the home took water, treat plumbing like electrical — inspect before returning fully to service, and photograph everything for insurance first.
