Day 4: Handy Hero

Today your mission is to learn how to turn off your water, electricity, and natural gas (if applicable):

Even if you’re a renter, don’t skip today’s task. Coordinate with your landlord as needed!

• During winter storms, pipes are more likely to freeze and burst: turning your water off during a power outage could save you some grief. 
• If you smell natural gas or notice any electrical issues near your home after an earthquake, turning off these utilities could save you from severe illness, injury, or fires. 
• If it’s likely your home will flood, turning off your electricity before evacuating or moving to higher floors will reduce your chances of electrocution. 

They’re handy skills to have, and they might save your life.

How to turn off your water: 

• Depending on where you live, your main water shut-off valve may be inside or outside your home. You’ll have to find it! 
• Some water shut-off valves have a wheel shaped handle. To shut off water with this type of handle, turn clockwise until the valve is fully closed. 
• Some water shut-off valves have a lever handle (quarter-turn) which allow water to flow when the handle is parallel to the pipe and stop the flow when the handle is perpendicular to the pipe. To shut off water with this type of handle, pull the handle to the perpendicular position.
• Some water shut-off valves require a wrench, in which case, you may need to ask your water supplier if it’s a wheel valve or a quarter turn valve. In either case, if it’s just missing the handle, make sure to replace it ASAP so you’ll be able to quickly shut off water in the event of an emergency.

Pro tips:

• It’s usually safe to turn your water off and on at your discretion (assuming you’re doing it only a few times a year).
• If you are concerned about shutting things off, reach out to your water company and they should be happy to provide answers to any of your questions.

How to turn off your natural gas

Note: Do not shut off your gas in a practice scenario. Simply note locations and ensure you have the correct tools.

• Do you smell gas? Open a window before you do anything else.
• Leave the building. Only proceed to turning off the gas yourself if it’s safe to do so.
• Locate your gas meter (it’s usually on one side of your house, close to the front).
• The shutoff is usually the first valve on the pipe coming from the ground below your meter.
• An open valve’s “handle” will be parallel to the pipe. To close the valve, use a non-sparking tool to pull it toward yourself, turning it perpendicular to the pipe and blocking the flow of gas.

Pro tips: 

• Do not shut off your gas in a practice scenario. You should leave your gas on unless you smell gas or have another reason to turn it off. Why? You should never turn your gas ON; only a professional should do that.
• If you shut your gas off, you’ll be without gas (and whatever appliances are powered by it) until someone from your gas company can come assess the situation and turn it back on, if they deem it safe to do so.

How to turn off your electricity 

Note: Do not turn your electricity off in a practice scenario if you have an older electrical system or are concerned about wear and tear. It’s the easiest utility to turn off in an emergency, so as long as you know what to do, turning it off and on for practice is unnecessary.

• Locate your breaker box. This is the big metal panel with all of the switches!
• Turn off all of the individual circuits.
• Turn off the main circuit.

Pro tips: 

• If you turned your electricity off as a precaution and you’re sure your electrical system hasn’t been exposed to water, it should be safe to turn electricity back on by yourself, but be sure to check for the smell of gas throughout your home before doing so.
• If there has been damage to your home or nearby, waiting for a representative from the electric company to assess your home and turn it back on for you (if it’s safe to do so) is the best course of action.