Find Your Main Water Shutoff Valve

Do you know what this is? Or where to find it? Here's why you need to know:

We had a resident tell us recently about a burst pipe that flooded her upstairs bathroom and damaged her kitchen ceiling. What made the problem worse is that she could not find the main water shutoff valve. This is the valve that cuts off water to the entire unit — specifically for emergencies like this.

The shutoff valve will be outside your unit, inside a covered plastic box. It may also be covered by mulch. Dig around near your driveway or walkway until you find it.

While the affected resident also notified our property manager and asked that the landscapers make sure that they make sure all the shutoff valves are uncovered, the issue there is that the landscapers probably don't know where the valves are, either. Even if they uncover them, the next mulching could hide them again.

But you can protect yourself. Take a few minutes to go outside and find your shutoff valve. It could save you a ton of headache later.