Shelter · Fire & Utility Safety
How to locate and operate the gas, water, and electrical shutoffs in your home. The time to find them is before the basement is flooding, before you smell gas, and before someone is standing in water near a live panel.
Find your shutoffsWhy this matters
Your home runs on three utility systems: gas (or propane), water, and electricity. Each one can become a hazard during an emergency. A gas leak after an earthquake can cause an explosion. A burst pipe during a freeze can flood the house. A live electrical panel in standing water can electrocute someone trying to reach it.
Knowing where each shutoff is and how to operate it takes less than an hour to learn. It is one of the most valuable things a household can do for its own safety, and a PEMCO insurance survey found that fewer than half of adults under 35 could locate their home's gas shutoff.[1]
This page covers all three systems: where to find them, how to operate them, when to shut them off, and when not to. It is not a substitute for your local utility's documentation. Shutoff procedures can vary by utility company, meter type, and region. Verify the specifics with your gas, water, and electric providers before you need them.[2]
This weekend
The work described on this page takes about 30 minutes during a calm afternoon. Do not wait until you are standing in the dark with a flashlight. Walk through these steps now, while the lights are on and nothing is leaking.
Walk the exterior and interior of your home and locate all three: the gas meter and its valve, the main water valve where the line enters the house, and the electrical breaker panel. Each is described in detail in the sections below.
Use a permanent marker, a luggage tag, or a laminated label. Mark each valve clearly: "MAIN GAS SHUTOFF," "MAIN WATER SHUTOFF," "MAIN BREAKER." A visitor, a babysitter, or an older child should be able to find any of them without guessing. If your gas meter is outside, a weatherproof label is worth the effort.
Test your main water valve by turning it off and confirming that water stops flowing at a faucet, then turn it back on. Test your circuit breakers by flipping individual breakers and confirming which circuits they control. Label the panel directory while you are at it. Do not test your gas shutoff at the meter. Turning off gas at the meter requires a professional to relight pilots and verify the system before service resumes.[3] You can, however, locate and visually identify the valve and confirm you have the right wrench.
Walk every adult through all three shutoff locations. Demonstrate the motion for each valve type. Point out the wrench you have stored near the gas meter. This five-minute walkthrough is the entire point. In an emergency, anyone home should be able to act without instructions.
Gas and propane
Gas leaks are the most dangerous utility hazard in a home. Natural gas is flammable, and an undetected leak can lead to explosion or carbon monoxide poisoning. Utilities add a sulfur-like "rotten egg" odor (mercaptan) so you can detect leaks by smell, but do not rely on smell alone. A hissing or blowing sound near gas lines, dead vegetation near a buried line, or dirt blowing from the ground are all signs of a possible leak.[4]
The main gas shutoff valve is located near your gas meter, typically on the side or front of the building. In some homes it is inside a cabinet or utility closet. The valve is a rectangular lug on a pipe coming out of the ground or wall, just before the meter itself. When the lug runs parallel (in line) with the pipe, the gas is flowing. When it sits perpendicular (crosswise) to the pipe, the gas is off.
Use a 12 to 15 inch adjustable wrench. Turn the valve lug a quarter turn so it sits crosswise to the pipe. That is the full motion: one quarter turn.[3] Keep the wrench stored near the meter (not attached to the meter or any gas piping). Some households zip-tie a wrench to a nearby post or keep one in the garage near the meter wall.
Critical safety rules for gas
If you smell gas or hear a hissing sound: do not flip any light switches, do not use matches or lighters, do not use your phone inside the building. Leave the area immediately. Call 911 and your gas company from outside the building, away from the source.[4]
Never turn the gas back on yourself after shutting it off at the meter. A professional must inspect the system, check for leaks, and relight pilot lights before service resumes. This is a universal rule across gas utilities.[3]
Only shut off gas at the meter when you have a clear reason: you smell gas throughout the house, you hear a hissing sound you cannot isolate, or your home has sustained structural damage (earthquake, fallen tree, vehicle impact). Do not shut it off "just in case" during a power outage or general storm warning. Restoring service requires a technician visit that may take days during a widespread event.
Every gas appliance (furnace, water heater, stove, dryer, fireplace) should have its own shutoff valve on the gas line within six feet of the appliance. If a leak is coming from a specific appliance, shutting off the appliance valve stops the flow without affecting the rest of the house and without requiring a technician to restore service. Locate these valves now. Some are behind the appliance and hard to reach. Knowing where they are before you need them matters.
If your home uses propane instead of natural gas, the shutoff valve is on the tank itself. Open the tank lid to reveal the service valve, which looks like a round handwheel. Turn it clockwise (to the right) until it stops. No wrench is needed. If you have multiple tanks, shut off all of them.[5] As with natural gas, national safety codes require a professional to test the system for leaks and relight pilots before turning the gas back on. Propane is heavier than air and pools at ground level, which means leaks collect in basements, crawl spaces, and low areas where natural gas would not.
Water
A burst pipe can dump hundreds of gallons into your home in an hour. Knowing where the main valve is and how to close it quickly is the difference between a wet floor and a ruined house. Water damage also creates electrical hazards when it reaches outlets, panels, or appliances.
The main water shutoff valve is where the water supply line enters your home. In cold climates, it is usually in the basement or crawl space on the wall facing the street. In warm climates, it may be outside on an exterior wall or in a utility box near the foundation. In some homes it is in the garage, the utility room, or near the water heater. If you cannot find it, check your property inspection report or call your water utility.
Gate valve (older homes): a round wheel handle. Turn it clockwise. It takes multiple full turns to close completely. Gate valves can stick or corrode if they have not been operated in years. Do not force a stuck gate valve. Apply penetrating lubricant, wait, and try again gently. Excessive force can crack the valve body and create a bigger problem than the one you are trying to solve.
Ball valve (newer homes): a straight lever handle. Turn the lever a quarter turn so it sits perpendicular to the pipe. When the lever is in line with the pipe, water is flowing. When the lever is crosswise, water is off. Ball valves are more reliable and easier to operate than gate valves. If you ever replace a main valve, a ball valve is the better choice.
Shut off the main valve if a pipe bursts, if you see uncontrolled water flowing inside the house, if you are evacuating and expect freezing temperatures, or if local authorities issue a water contamination advisory. Shutting off the main valve also prevents contaminated municipal water from entering your home through the water heater and plumbing during a boil-water advisory.[6]
Individual shutoff valves serve specific fixtures and appliances. Sinks have valves in the cabinet below. Toilets have a valve on the wall behind the unit. Washing machines have two valves (hot and cold) behind the machine. Water heaters have a valve on the cold supply line. If the problem is a single fixture, closing its valve stops the flow without shutting down water to the entire house.
Water and electricity: the critical sequence
If standing water has reached outlets, appliances, or the area near your electrical panel, shut off the electricity first, then deal with the water. Do not wade through standing water to reach a water shutoff valve if there is any possibility that the water is in contact with electrical current.[7]
If you cannot reach the breaker panel safely, call your electric utility and ask them to disconnect power at the meter before you enter the water.
Turn the main valve off, confirm water stops at a faucet, then turn it back on. This prevents the valve from seizing in the closed position from corrosion or mineral buildup. A valve that will not close in an emergency is worse than no valve at all, because you will waste critical minutes trying to force it before realizing you need to call the water utility for a street-side shutoff.
The fourth utility
Gas, water, and electrical shutoffs get the attention. Sewer is the one most homeowners never consider, and it is the one that causes the most damage when it fails during an extended power outage.
If your home is connected to a municipal sewer system, your waste flows downhill by gravity to a neighborhood lift station (pump station) that pushes it uphill to the next segment. Those pump stations run on electricity. During an extended outage, if the pumps lose power and backup generators fail or run out of fuel, sewage accumulates in the lines and can back up into homes at the lowest points in the system. During Hurricane Ida in 2021, 24 of New Orleans' 84 sewer lift stations lost power simultaneously, and the city's Sewerage and Water Board warned residents of backup risk in homes.
Signs that backup is imminent: slow drains, gurgling sounds from fixtures, sewage odor from drains, or water rising in the lowest floor drain. If you observe any of these, stop using all plumbing fixtures immediately and switch to a bucket toilet system.
Homes on septic systems are generally not at risk of backup from municipal pump station failure. However, if your septic system uses an effluent pump (common in systems where the drain field is uphill from the tank), that pump also needs electricity. During an outage, conserve water use to prevent the pump chamber from overfilling.
Backflow prevention
Some homeowners install a backflow prevention valve or a cleanout plug on their main sewer line to prevent sewage from backing up into the house during system failures. A plumber can install a backwater valve in your main sewer line or show you where your exterior cleanout is located. Knowing where the cleanout is before an emergency is part of the same preparation as knowing where your gas valve and main water shutoff are.
Electrical
Electrical shutoffs are the simplest to operate and the most commonly known. No tools are required. The main breaker panel is typically in the basement, garage, utility room, or a hallway closet. In apartments it may be recessed in a wall near the front door.
Open the panel door. Flip individual circuit breakers to the "OFF" position first, then flip the main breaker at the top (or bottom) of the panel to "OFF." Switching individual breakers before the main breaker reduces the chance of a power surge when service resumes.[8]
When restoring power, reverse the order: main breaker on first, then individual circuits one at a time. This prevents the entire house from drawing power simultaneously, which can trip the main breaker or stress the panel.
Shut off power if flooding has reached or may reach electrical outlets, appliances, or the panel itself. Shut it off if you smell burning plastic or insulation, see sparks, or notice flickering lights accompanied by a buzzing sound. Shut it off before doing any electrical work, even replacing a light fixture. And shut it off before connecting a portable generator, to prevent dangerous backfeed through the panel that can electrocute utility workers repairing lines.[9]
Critical electrical safety rules
Never touch an electrical panel with wet hands or while standing in water. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity. If the area around the panel is flooded, call your electric utility to disconnect at the meter.[7]
After any flooding near electrical systems, have a licensed electrician inspect the panel and wiring before restoring power. Wet wiring can arc, short, or cause fire even after the water recedes.
If the power is out and you are waiting for it to return, leave one light switch on so you know when service resumes. Unplug sensitive electronics (computers, TVs) to protect them from power surges when the grid comes back.[8]
Most breaker panels have a paper directory inside the door that maps each breaker to the circuit it controls. In many homes this directory is blank, illegible, or wrong. Spend 15 minutes with a partner: one person flips breakers while the other walks through the house noting which outlets, lights, and appliances lose power. Write it down in permanent marker. A correctly labeled panel directory is a small investment that pays off every time something goes wrong.
What goes wrong
Mistake
Shutting off gas at the meter "just in case" during a storm
Unless you smell gas or your home has structural damage, leave the gas on. Shutting it off at the meter requires a technician to restore, and technicians are in short supply after a widespread event. You could be without heat, hot water, and cooking gas for days waiting for a visit that was never necessary.
Mistake
Never testing the main water valve
A gate valve that has not been operated in years may be seized open. You will discover this at the worst possible moment. Test it twice a year. If it will not close, have a plumber replace it with a ball valve before you need it.
Mistake
Wading through standing water to reach the electrical panel
If the floor around your panel is flooded, the water may be energized. Do not enter it. Call your electric utility and have them disconnect power at the meter. This is one of the leading causes of electrocution during flooding events.[7]
Mistake
No wrench near the gas meter
The gas shutoff valve requires a wrench. An adjustable wrench works. If you do not have one stored near the meter, you will be searching the garage in the dark during the one moment you need to act quickly. Store a dedicated wrench within arm's reach of the valve. Do not attach it to the meter or any gas piping.[3]
Mistake
Only one person in the household knows the shutoff locations
That person may not be home when the emergency happens. Every adult and capable older teenager in the household should know where all three shutoffs are and how to operate them. Five minutes of walkthrough now prevents confusion later.
Sources
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