How to locate, label, and practice your home’s water, gas, and electric shutoffs so small problems don’t become big emergencies.
How to Shut Off Your Household Utilities
Knowing how to quickly shut off utilities in your home can save lives, prevent major damage, and give you peace of mind in an emergency. Whether it’s a burst pipe, a gas leak, or a sudden electrical hazard, these are skills every adult in the household should learn.
Safety First
Before we go any further, let's cover some safety guidelines. Dealing with utilities can be dangerous, and I don't want anyone to be injured!
Before you touch any utility shut-off, stop and assess the situation.
- Personal Safety Comes First - If there’s fire, heavy smoke, flooding, structural damage, or the smell of gas, evacuate immediately and call emergency services from a safe location.
- Never Take Risks With Gas or Electricity - If you’re unsure how to shut something off safely, or the shut-off is in a dangerous area, wait for professionals.
- Protective Gear - Wear sturdy shoes, gloves, and eye protection if there’s any debris, water, or sharp objects nearby.
- Keep Your Distance - For gas leaks, stay upwind; for electrical hazards, keep well away from any water.
- When in Doubt, Call for Help - Your safety is worth more than any property you’re trying to protect.
Are you at risk?
Life is full of surprises, isn't it? No matter where you live, you are probably at risk for a natural disaster of some sort, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, floods... not to mention domestic emergencies like a frozen pipe, a gas leak, or a flooded basement.
I'd hate to tell you how many of these situations our family has experienced. We’re basically the poster family for “what could possibly go wrong?” - but somehow we’re still smiling about it.
But I’ll give you a hint: we’ve never experienced a hurricane.
Still, we’ve faced enough surprises to know that emergencies happen when you least expect them - and they don’t just happen to “other people.”
Honestly, all adults in a household need to know how to turn off the utilities, just in case. What if only one adult knows how to turn off the gas, but that person isn't home when, for whatever reason, the gas line begins to leak?
Let's go over the major utilities: water, electricity, natural gas and propane.
Water shut-off
The main water valve in a home is usually found in the basement, a crawl space under the house, in the garage, or outside near the street in a ground-level box.
If you don't know where yours is, go hunting for it, or ask a neighbor where theirs is. Chances are, yours is in a similar location.
Ours is in an in-ground box in our front yard, near the street.
When we moved in, the Chief bought a new "water key" since he wasn't able to find one left by the previous owners. It hangs in a prominent place in the garage. This long-handled "key" makes it easy to shut off the water main.
They are also sometimes called a "curb key" or a "water shut-off key," and can be purchased at a hardware store.
If you have a burst pipe, a major leak, or flooding inside your home, you'd need to turn off the water at this main location.
One of our daughters had a pipe burst in their basement, and knowing where the shut-off was (and having the right tool) kept the damage from being far worse.
For minor leaks, such as a faucet or toilet leak, you'd turn off the "local" shut-off valves inside your home instead, located under sinks and behind toilets.
To turn off the water main, turn the valve clockwise until it stops. (Are you familiar with the saying "lefty-loosey, righty-tighty"? It's a reminder to turn something to the right, clockwise, to tighten it, and to the left or counter-clockwise to loosen it.)
If your shut-off has a lever handle instead of a valve, turn it 90° until it's perpendicular to the pipe.
TIP: Keep a shut-off wrench, pliers or "water shut-off key" nearby if the valve is stubborn.
Free Quick-Reference Contact Sheet
In an emergency, the last thing you want is to dig for a phone number. This printable sheet - just one page from my SafeHarbor Emergency Binder System - keeps all your important contacts, from utility companies to repair pros, in one place so help is always just a call away.
Print it, fill it out, and keep it somewhere handy. Click here to download your free contact sheet.
How to Turn Off Natural Gas in an Emergency
If your home doesn't use natural gas, you can skip this section.
You might need to turn off your home’s gas supply if you smell gas, hear a hissing sound near a line, or suspect a leak after severe weather or damage to the house.
Shutting off the gas is also recommended after damaging earthquakes, floods, or fires, and before making repairs or moving gas appliances.
The main gas valve location is usually outside of your home near the gas meter.
To turn off the gas line, use a wrench to turn the valve a quarter turn until it's perpendicular to the pipe. Only the gas company should turn it back on, after conducting an inspection.
After the tornado struck our neighborhood in 2023, we heard a loud hissing sound and joined several neighbors in a search to locate the source, which turned out to be our own gas line. It took a big wrench and a strong man to turn it off.
Electrical Shut-Off
You might need to shut off your home’s power if there’s an electrical fire, after severe storm damage, or if you see sparks or smoke coming from outlets or appliances. Power should also be turned off before working on wiring, replacing certain fixtures, or when flooding has occurred near outlets or the breaker box.
In any situation where electricity and water mix, shutting off the main breaker is the safest move.
When our oldest daughter and son-in-law had a house fire, the fire department told them to shut off the main breaker immediately to prevent further damage and to help keep everyone safe. Seconds count in this situation!
How to find the main breaker switch: The main breaker panel is often located in the garage, basement, utility room, or on an exterior wall inside the house. In some older homes, it might be in a hallway or in a closet.
To shut off the main breaker, open the panel door and locate the large main breaker switch at the top of the panel (occasionally it's located at the bottom, as in this image). Flip it firmly to the OFF position to shut down all power to the house.
For smaller issues, you can turn off an individual breaker that controls a specific circuit.
TIP: Clearly label each breaker so you know exactly which area or appliance it controls. It can save valuable minutes in an emergency and make everyday tasks easier, whether you’re repairing something in the house or troubleshooting a single outlet.
Safety Note: Never touch the breaker panel if it’s wet or if you have to stand in water to reach it. In those cases, call the power company or a licensed electrician.
How to Shut Off Propane Tank Safely
Many rural properties rely on propane instead of natural gas. You might need to shut off the propane in case of a suspected leak, a fire risk, before servicing appliances that use propane, or after damage to the propane system.
The main service valve is located on the propane tank itself, usually under a protective lid on top of the tank.
We once lived in an older home that had two tall, portable cylinders that supplied our kitchen stove with propane. For smaller cylinders like these, the valve is on the top of the tank.
To shut off the propane, turn the main service valve clockwise until it’s fully closed.
TIP: Some appliances may have their own shut-off valves inside the house, but turning off the main valve at the tank will stop propane flow to the entire home.
Free Quick-Reference Contact Sheet
In an emergency, the last thing you want is to dig for a phone number. This printable sheet - just one page from my SafeHarbor Emergency Binder System - keeps all your important contacts, from utility companies to repair pros, in one place so help is always just a call away.
Print it, fill it out, and keep it somewhere handy. Click here to download your free contact sheet.
Pool Pump or Well Pump Shut-Off (if applicable)
You may need to shut off the power source to your well pump or a swimming pool pump in case of an electrical hazard, damage to the pump, or water contamination concerns.
The shut-off location might be on the main electrical breaker panel inside the house, or there might be a dedicated shut-off switch near the pump. To shut off the pump, flip the breaker or switch to OFF.
Practice and Prepare
All adult members of your household should know the location of each shut-off location and how to turn them off and on. Keep necessary tools like wrenches labeled and stored nearby.
Don't practice turning the natural gas off and on - only the gas company should turn the gas back on.
Creating a simple map of your home and property with the location of each utility shut-off is a smart idea. Tape a copy inside a kitchen cabinet for quick reference, and store a copy in your emergency binder too.
Next Step
Knowing where your shut-off points are - and how to use them - is just one part of being prepared for life’s “what-ifs.” The next step is keeping all of your critical information in one place, so you’re not scrambling in an emergency.
That’s exactly what my SafeHarbor Emergency Binder System is designed to do. Along with step-by-step guidance for organizing your family’s vital documents, it includes the Utility & Service Contacts sheet, a home maintenance tracker, and worksheets for recording your home warranty and insurance information - all in one organized place - so help is always just a phone call away, even in the middle of a crisis.
Because when the unexpected happens, the last thing you need is to go hunting for phone numbers, account details, or instructions - and with SafeHarbor, you won’t have to.
Learn more about the SafeHarbor Emergency Binder System.
Kathi Rodgers is the gardener and writer behind Oak Hill Homestead (est. 2009) and the host of HOMEGROWN: Your Backyard Garden Podcast. With over 30 years of gardening experience in a variety of climates and soils, she helps new and aspiring gardeners grow healthy, organic food right in their own backyards.
A passionate advocate for simple, self-reliant living, Kathi is the author of multiple ebooks, a published magazine contributor, and shares practical advice with readers who want real-life solutions they can trust.
Kathi lives in Oklahoma, where she grows more cherry tomatoes than she can count and keeps a watchful eye on tornado season. A proud grandma and great-grandma, she believes that wisdom - like a bountiful garden harvest - should be shared.
