Shutting Off Gas, Water, and Power

Not legal advice. Your utility company's instructions for your meter and panel come first.

What it's for

After a quake, a flood, a fire nearby, or a burst pipe, shutting off a utility can stop a small problem from getting big. The Fixer should know where all three shutoffs are, and so should every responsible adult in the house.

Before you need it (practice)

• Call your gas company. Ready.gov says shutoff steps differ by meter type, so ask your gas company how yours works. They can also help you plan for gas appliances in an emergency.
• Do NOT actually turn the gas off when practicing (Ready.gov). Just find the valve and learn which way it turns.
• Find the main water valve where the line enters the house and tag it (Ready.gov). Make sure it closes all the way. If it's rusted open or won't close fully, Ready.gov says replace it. That's the house valve, not the street valve in the curb box, which Ready.gov notes is hard to turn and needs a special tool.
• Find the electrical panel. Label the circuits if they aren't.
• Hang the tool where it's needed. Keep a wrench (or a 4-in-1 utility shutoff tool) and a headlamp by the gas meter or water valve.
• Walk the family through it. Show each grown-up and older kid where each shutoff is.

Step by step

Natural gas (only when needed)

1. If you smell gas or hear blowing or hissing: open a window and get everyone out quickly (Ready.gov).
2. If you can, turn off the gas at the outside main valve.
3. Call the gas company from a neighbor's home (Ready.gov). PHMSA, the federal pipeline safety agency, adds: don't strike a match, start an engine, use a phone, or flip any light switch or garage-door opener near the leak; call 911 from a neighbor's house or somewhere well away from the leak, and warn others to stay away if it's safe to. Follow your own gas company's instructions.
4. Do not turn it back on yourself. Ready.gov: if you turn off the gas for any reason, only a qualified professional can turn it back on.

Water

1. Turn the main house valve to off.
2. Ready.gov notes cracked lines can pollute your supply, so it's a good idea to keep water off until authorities say it's safe to drink.
3. Bonus: shutting the main valve traps the water already in your water heater and toilet tanks, which might otherwise drain out (Ready.gov).

Electricity

1. Go to the breaker panel with a headlamp.
2. Ready.gov: shut off all the individual circuits first, then the main.
3. Never touch electrical equipment if it's wet or you're standing in water (Ready.gov, Floods). If the panel area is flooded, stay out and call the utility or an electrician.
4. Ready.gov also points out that electrical sparks can ignite leaking gas, which is why everyone should know how to shut off power.

Common mistakes

• Shutting the gas off "just in case." Only shut it off for a leak or when officials tell you to. Getting it back on takes a pro.
• Practicing on the real gas valve. Don't.
• A water valve that won't close. Find out now, not mid-flood.
• Tool stored in the garage, valve on the far side of the house.
• Only one person knows where things are.

Care & storage

• Check the water valve turns once or twice a year.
• Keep shutoff tool, gloves, and a headlamp together in a labeled bag.
• Write the utility phone numbers on a card in the planning binder.

Related gear

• Adjustable wrench · Multi-tool · Work gloves · LED headlamp
• 4-in-1 gas and water shutoff wrench · Carbon monoxide alarm
• See also: Using a Fire Extinguisher
• Category: Home Safety · Role: Fixer

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