Table of Content
- Shut Off Water Close to Source
- Society of Gynecologic Surgeons 48th Annual Scientific Meeting
- How to Find Your Home's Main Water Shut Off Valve
- Meet the Editors
- AJOG 2022 Impact Award
- Watch Now: How to Turn Off Water for Plumbing Repairs
- Find the Shut Off Valve on Your Property Inspection Report
- Find the Streetside Shut Off Valve
Shutting off the water at the cut off valve located within the house is the best option for leaks that cannot be shut off by local valves. It will cut off your home's entire water supply, allowing you to open up any pipe within the house. The property inspection report is always the best way to locate the shut off valve. Failing that, use your detective skills to narrow down the location of the valve.

If you have a leak in your toilet, sink, washing machine, or bathtub , your first option should be to shut off water close to the source as possible. In most cases, the shut off valve will be near the perimeter of the house. Your water main begins at the street and usually heads in a straight line to your home.
Shut Off Water Close to Source
If you have a water leak or just need to turn off the water in your home for remodeling or repairs, you must turn off your water upstream at some point. In all homes, you can shut off the water at the main water cut off valve. This turns off water to the entire house, even outside spigots. Luckily, many newer homes implement a number of upstream shut off valves that you can use, short of shutting off water to the entire house. A PEX plumbing manifold is a type of plumbing collection point that is increasingly being installed in newer homes. With a manifold, two large PEX pipes, one hot and one cold, are branched off to various parts of the house.
Even if the water system was not defective at the time of the property inspection report, the report should still note the locate the shut-off valve as a matter of course. AJOG values inclusion and diversity across research, be it authorship, reviewers, or editors. This is in line with Elsevier’s support of the joint commitment for action on inclusion and diversity in publishing.
Society of Gynecologic Surgeons 48th Annual Scientific Meeting
The valve body has stops that only allow the handle to move from one direction to another and will stop the handle when it is fully perpendicular.

If you live in a climate that freezes in the winter, this sand or dirt is required to prevent the pipes from freezing and bursting. After clearing the box, you will see the glass-covered meter that may have a secondary cover to protect the glass. Ignore this as it has nothing to do with shutting off the water. This section should locate the shut-off valve and have a photo of the valve.
How to Find Your Home's Main Water Shut Off Valve
Plumbing manifolds have shut off valves that can shut down water to the entire house. Search for your house's main water shut off valveon the inside of the home. Typically, it will be located on the perimeter of the house, since that is where the water first enters your house. Find the ground-level metal or plastic utility box trap door located at ground level. Staff may direct you to shut off the water valve by yourself or to wait for an emergency dispatch team. Equity and inclusion in publishing is critically important for scientific excellence and innovation.
AJOG's Editors have active research programs and, on occasion, publish work in the Journal. Editor/authors are masked to the peer review process and editorial decision-making of their own work and are not able to access this work in the online manuscript submission system. Work by Editor/authors is assessed using the same criteria as that applied to all AJOG submissions. Sometimes the shut-off valve will be located behind a plastic access panel. A ball valve is a straight handle that runs parallel to the pipe when it is open. To turn off a ball valve, the handle will move from a parallel position to a perpendicular position.
We believe passionately in the power of an inclusive publishing environment, not only to do what is right, but to enrich, strengthen and advance us all. Imagine a straight line extending from that point to the nearest point on your home's exterior perimeter. Where that line meets your house is likely where the house's shut-off is located. At the streetside ground-level utility box, lift the lid and set the lid to the side. If there is dirt or sand, remove gently with your hand or with a garden trowel.
