Plumbing tips
Where Is the Main Water Valve in My House?
Once a pipe splits, how quickly you can reach the main valve decides how much damage you get. Find it today, while nothing is leaking.
or dial (365) 363-3352Answered day and night
- Checks you can do yourself, in order
- What to leave alone and why
- Written for Toronto houses and condos
- Call us if it is already leaking
A price before we startNothing cut or opened until you say yes.
- Licensed & insureddetails confirmed on the call
- Phones answered 24/7a person, not a queue
- Price before we startcall-out rate on the phone
- Old Toronto & East Yorkhouses, condos, businesses
Why it matters in Toronto homes
Most Toronto houses take their water in through the front foundation wall, and the main valve sits right beside the water meter. In older homes it may be behind a furnace, inside a cold cellar under the front porch, or boxed in by a finished wall. In condos, suites normally get their own isolation valves behind an access hatch, and the building controls the risers.
Step-by-step what to do
- Head downstairs to the front foundation wall. Look for the water meter, a small round or square device with a dial, usually with a remote reader wire.
- Look for the valve between the meter and the house piping. It will be a round wheel handle (gate valve) or a lever (ball valve).
- Test it gently. Wind a wheel clockwise, or swing a lever ninety degrees until it crosses the pipe. Open a tap upstairs to confirm the water stops.
- Open it again fully, then ease a wheel handle back slightly from fully open to keep it free.
- Tag it. Hang a label and show everyone in the house.
No meter in sight? Check under the front stairs, inside a cold cellar, behind basement panelling and in the laundry area near the front wall.
Mistakes to avoid
- Putting a wrench on a seized wheel handle. A snapped stem leaves a valve that will never close.
- Turning the wrong valve: the one before the meter is the city’s.
- Covering the valve with drywall or shelving during a renovation.
- Assuming the curb stop outside is yours to turn. It belongs to Toronto Water.
When it is time to phone us
Bring us in when the handle is frozen, when closing it leaves water still running, or leaks around the stem. Old gate valves get swapped for full-port ball valves; see main valve replacement. If water is pouring and the valve fails, call 311 to ask about the curb stop, then call us.
Common questions
How often should I test the main valve?
Exercising it each spring and fall is enough to keep it from seizing.
Does closing the main affect my water heater?
Not immediately. If the water will be off for a long time, put a gas tank on pilot, or switch off an electric one at the breaker.
Water where it shouldn’t be? Call now.
A plumber answers day and night, and the call-out rate is quoted before anyone drives over.