A failed supply line can push over 1,000 litres an hour into your floors. The single biggest factor in how much damage you end up paying for is how fast someone gets the water off. Find your valve today, label it, and show everyone in the home.
Where to look by property type
Single-family home
Basement, crawlspace, garage or utility room on the street-facing wall.
There is also a curb stop at the property line — city staff operate that one.
Townhome
Mechanical closet, under the kitchen sink, or beside the hot water tank in the garage.
End units sometimes share a shut-off with the neighbour — confirm which valve is yours.
Condo / apartment
Behind a laundry, bathroom or hallway access panel serving your unit only.
Some older buildings have no in-suite valve — the caretaker must isolate the riser. Know their number.
Quarter-turn ball valve vs. older gate valve
Quarter-turn ball valve
- • Straight lever handle
- • Shuts fully in one 90° turn
- • Handle in line with pipe = open
- • Tolerates years without use
Older gate valve
- • Round wheel handle
- • Many turns to close
- • Seizes or snaps with age
- • Can weep even when "closed"
If you have a gate valve, exercise it gently once a year and plan to replace it with a ball valve. Never force a stuck wheel — that is how the stem breaks off inside.
Strata owners: the $25,000–$100,000+ warning
BC strata water-damage deductibles now commonly run from $25,000 to over $100,000. If water originates in your unit, the strata corporation can charge that deductible back to you — even when the failure was not your fault. Knowing your in-suite valve, and documenting preventative maintenance, is your cheapest protection.
Do this in the next 60 seconds
- 1. Walk to the valve and confirm you can physically reach it — clear any storage in front of it.
- 2. Note whether it is a lever or a wheel.
- 3. Tag it with a bright label reading "MAIN WATER SHUT-OFF".
- 4. Photograph it and text the photo to everyone in the household.
Not sure your valve will actually hold? A certified local specialist tests it as part of the 50-Point Water Safety Audit.
Book Your Audit