If water is spreading across a floor in your Las Vegas, NV home, here is how to shut off water to the house in the next few minutes. The steps come first; the reasons follow. Leak Detection Las Vegas finds the leak once the water is off, and our Las Vegas urgent leak visits start from exactly this point.
How do you shut off water to your house?
To shut off water to your house, find the house shut-off valve where the main line enters, turn a round handle clockwise until it stops or a lever handle a quarter turn so it sits across the pipe, then open a low faucet to confirm the water has stopped.
- Go to the house shut-off valve.
- Round handle: turn clockwise until snug. Lever handle: turn it a quarter turn so it sits across the pipe.
- Open the lowest faucet in the house to drain pressure and confirm the flow stops.
- Switch off the water heater: the breaker for an electric unit, or set a gas unit to pilot or off as its label directs.
- If the valve will not close, or water keeps flowing, use the valve at the meter box.
Water off? Talk to a Leak Detection Specialist about finding the source.
Where to find the house shut-off valve in a Las Vegas, NV home
In many desert homes the house valve sits where the supply line comes up out of the ground before it enters the wall. Look along the front of the house first, often near the front hose bib, then in the garage near the water heater or under a small access lid. Builders varied, so go and look today, while nothing is wet. Tag the valve and give the handle a test turn.
One detail catches people out. Irrigation lines frequently tee off the main before it reaches the house valve, so closing that valve can leave the sprinklers and drip zones still fed. Turn off the irrigation controller too.
Gate valve or ball valve: how to turn each
A gate valve has a round handle and takes several turns clockwise to close; stop when it feels snug. Gate valves can seize, and forcing a stuck one can snap the stem. If it will not move with firm hand pressure, go to the meter box.
A ball valve has a straight lever. In line with the pipe, it is open; a quarter turn across the pipe, it is closed.
When the house valve won't turn: the valve at the meter box
The meter box, usually a lid near the street, holds the provider's water meter and a curb valve. Turning it usually takes a meter key or a sturdy adjustable tool. Use it only if the house valve fails, and contact your provider about a faulty valve:
- Las Vegas, NV and unincorporated Clark County: the Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD).
- Henderson, NV: City of Henderson Utility Services.
- North Las Vegas, NV: your city's water utility.
- 1Meter box. Lift the lid to see the water meter.
- 2Flow-indicator triangle (red or white) on the meter face. With all water off inside and outside the home, a triangle that is still moving means there may be a leak.
- 3Meter dial and sweep hand, which record the water that passes through the meter.
- 4Service line from the meter to the house. If the triangle still moves with the house shut-off valve closed, the leak is likely underground on this line.
- 5House shut-off valve. Close it and check the triangle again: if it stops, the leak is elsewhere on the property.
After the water is off: what to turn off and what to leave open
| Item | Do this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Water heater | Breaker off for electric; gas to pilot or off per the label | A tank should not heat while it may be draining |
| Lowest faucet | Open briefly, then close | Drains the pressure and proves the valve actually closed |
| Irrigation controller | Turn it off | Irrigation may be fed from before the house valve |
| Pool auto-fill | Turn it off if it is fed from the house side | Stops it refilling into a line you are trying to drain |
| Ice maker and water softener | Switch off, or put the softener in bypass | Keeps them from cycling against an empty line |
If the tank itself is leaking, read what to shut off at a leaking tank. Leak Detection Las Vegas locates leaks; it does not dry out water-damaged rooms, so call a restoration company for standing water.
Check that the water is really off
With the house valve closed and every fixture off, go to the meter and look at the red or white flow-indicator triangle. If it is still, the shut-off worked. If it keeps moving, the Las Vegas Valley Water District's guidance points to a leak underground between the meter and the house valve, which that valve cannot stop. That buried line is a job for leak detection las vegas homeowners book before anyone digs.
How to shut off water to one fixture
Most sinks and toilets have a small stop valve under the sink or behind the toilet; turn it clockwise, gently, because these often stick. Many homes have no separate valve for one bathroom, so a leak inside a wall or shower valve means using the house valve. A water heater has its own cold supply valve on top; if the heater is the source, see how we handle water heater leaks in Las Vegas.
Turning the water back on
Once the leak is found or repaired, bring the water back slowly:
- Close every faucet except one, ideally a tub spout.
- Open the house valve a little at a time.
- Let that faucet run until it stops sputtering air, then close it.
- Check under sinks, behind toilets and around the water heater for fresh drips.
- Restore the water heater only once the tank is full.
Before freeze nights: find the valve and wrap exposed pipes
Freeze nights are not the norm in a desert winter, but they can happen. KTNV's freeze warning coverage for Las Vegas, NV and Clark County notes that a temperature of 32 degrees or less in the desert can freeze pipes and burst them, and advises wrapping exposed pipes in insulation. Exposed hose bibs and the pipe near the house valve are the obvious candidates, and many homeowners cover backflow assemblies too. Then make sure you know where the valve is and that it turns.
Leak sensors and automatic shut-off valves
A leak sensor sits near a water heater, washer or sink and alerts your phone when it gets wet. An automatic shut-off valve closes the main supply on its own when a sensor trips or flow looks abnormal.
The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) offers a Home Leak Sensor Rebate of 50 percent of the purchase price or $200, whichever is less. It applies to properties served by an SNWA member agency with an account in good standing, the device must be bought within 30 days of the coupon's printed date and installed at the listed address within 90 days of purchase, and there is one rebate per property. SNWA's member agencies include the City of Henderson and the City of North Las Vegas as well as LVVWD, so the rebate reaches past Las Vegas, NV. Check SNWA's leak sensor rebate (opens in a new tab) page for which devices qualify; the program terms are written for leak sensors, so confirm before you assume an automatic valve counts.
Book a Leak Detection Visit
Water off? Book a visit to find the leak before anything is opened. Leak Detection Las Vegas works across Las Vegas, NV, Henderson, NV and North Las Vegas, NV.
