main water valve shut off switch
 

Does anyone know where the main water valve switch is located?

Depends. Some outside. Some inside the garage. :wave:

Probably same as a neighbor..... ask.

one is outside in a green box in your front yard that's your main , the other is in your garage behind a white panel.

In the newer houses, it is inside a small plastic box on the wall in the garage. In some of the older houses, I have seen it on the water pipe next to the water heater. It is not a switch, but a valve that you need to turn 90 degrees to open or close.

Well, need to know what type of house and about how old so posters with that type of house can actually give information. Mine is outside between the main meter and house. It didn’t even have box just at rock level in the yard. Mine was leaking so when I replace it I put it in plastic meter box.

Unless it’s an emergency I would not mess with the outdoor box where the meter is. It was a huge no-no when I worked for a town water provider. However, the indoor shut off should be indoors near where the meter box is outdoors.

Wherever it is, you need to know where and how to turn it off. Also, you need to know how to open the access door to get to the valve. I have my access door held closed with tape because I don't want to be seaching for a screw driver to open it in an emergency. And, don't store stuff in front of it. Also, the newer houses have a valve at each toilet and sink that you pull out to shut off. They do not "turn" off.

:agree:

You probably have two turnoffs outside (not including at the meter). One for the home system and a different one for the sprinkler system. I turn off the home system when gone for a few days. As mentioned look for a green cap. Might be round and about 5 inches in diameter.

Our courtyard villa has it out front in shrubbery in a meter box , a pain to turn off or on . Should have a shut off inside.

Are you sure? Almost all houses have a shutoff valve inside the house. I have a courtyard villa and the water shutoff valve is in the garage, in a box on the back wall. In fact, the plumbing code requires a main water shutoff valve to be located inside the house close to the point where the water supply pipe enters the house.

You must have newer house and codes probably changed. Mine is 13 years old in Marion county and the shut off after the meter is outside just before the line enters the house. All plumbing under the slab and comes up at locations where water is needed. That’s why need to know what type and age of the home IMO.

I was recently in a 30 year old house in the Orange Blossom section. The water shutoff valve was on the water pipe that entered the house next to the water heater near the kitchen. Yes, most houses have a valve outside, but they also usually have one inside the house. I would check where the main pipe comes into the house and see if it may be hidden somewhere. The Florida code requires the valve to be located "at the entrance to the structure", so, I guess technically, it could be located outside. However, I have not seen any houses in The Villages that didn't have a valve inside the house.

:ohdear: Topspinmo - I believe you..... I don't have one either!

retiredguy123 - how many of the thousands of Villages homes have you been in? I have no doubt you are an expert on everything..... just NOT my home that I have lived in for going on 15 years. :ho:

While I haven't been in thousands of homes here in The Villages, my job takes me to a large number of them. I've been in a wide variety of homes (from 20 years old and new) and am continually surprised by how many homeowners are either unaware of the main water shut-off valve's existence, or its location. I've also seen my share of cabinets, both built in and free standing, not to mention boxes, rubbermaid containers, etc, covering the access panel in the garage. Like another poster mentioned, I have yet to work in a home that didn't have a shut-off inside the residence/garage.

I'm not an expert on everything, and I haven't been in thousands of houses. Just trying to help and learn.

Hopefully
 

Hopefully some have learned that they do not know how to turn off the water to their home should an emergency arrive.

I know that our five year old home has a main shut off, owned by the water company under a square plastic cover in our front lawn. We have a second one in the garage behind a painted rectangular cover low in our garage.

Before you need to shut off the water, you should check to be sure you can turn the valve. Our valve is rather cheap plastic. Before our home was a year old the red plastic handle broke off in my hand. Trying to turn it. jUST THE HANDLE-NO WATER RAN OUT INTO THE GARAGE. The builder sent a plumber, AT NO CHARGE, they shut off the valve under the lawn and replaced the valve in the garage in a higher position so now it is possible to shut it off.

my 2003 cinder block CYV is the same. Had the same problem when I when on vacation and turned the valve off when I turned it back on it leaked. Disregard the rest got posts mixed up, sorry. “ It’s outside just before the water line enters the garage and after the main meter valve. There are NO water inlet pipe visible in side my house other than sticking out of the wall. There are two ( hot and cold) shut off valves at water heater for replacement of the water heater.”

This maybe be true in designer and up and maybe patio villas, but not in my 2003 cinder block CYV.

If the cold water pipe to the water heater comes through the wall near the top of the water heater and the hot water pipe exits the water heater at the top, then I would say that the valve is not a main water shut off valve to the house. If that is the situation, then you probably don't have a shut off valve inside the house. But, if the pipe comes in near the floor and there is a "tee" connection before the pipe enters the water heater, then the valve closest to the floor is probably a main shut off valve for the house. I hope that makes sense.

Yes it does, my house has no main shutoff in the house, it’s outside and water heater has the two valve coming out of the wall above the water heater.

:icon_bored: Yeah what he said.