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Emergency Prep

Know Your Shutoffs Before You Need Them

April 7, 20263 min read

In an active leak, the difference between a wet floor and a ruined basement is measured in minutes. Almost all of those minutes get spent looking for a valve.

Wall-mounted tankless water heater with supply and gas connections

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The three you need to know

Locate them today, while nothing is wrong, and confirm each one actually turns.

  • Main water shutoff — usually where the supply enters the house, often near the meter or the front foundation wall
  • Water heater cold-water shutoff — on the cold line entering the top of the unit
  • Fixture stops — under every sink and behind every toilet

Label them

A tag on the main valve is worth more than any app. Take a photo of each location and share it with everyone in the household.

If you smell gas, don't troubleshoot

Leave the building, then call your gas utility's emergency line from outside. Do not operate switches or appliances. The same applies to any sparking, burning smell or electrical arcing near a water heater.

What to do in the first five minutes of a leak

Shut the water, kill power to the affected area if it's safe to reach the panel, move what you can, and photograph everything before you clean up. Those photos matter later for the repair scope and for any claim.

The takeaway

Ten minutes of labeling today removes the worst part of an emergency later. Everyone in the house should know where the main is.

Send three photos. Get a fast water-heater quote.

Show us the full heater, the model label and the vent or connections. Our team reviews the job and follows up with clear options.

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A. O. Smith is the line we stock and install most. We also work on the leading tank, tankless and hybrid systems already found in DMV homes.

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