When a pipe or geyser bursts, every minute counts. Knowing where to shut off the water, before an emergency, saves floors, ceilings and insurance hassle.
1. The house stopcock
Most Benoni homes have a main stopcock where the water pipe enters the property or the house:
- often near the front boundary wall or garden tap closest to the street,
- sometimes in the garage, a utility room or under the kitchen sink,
- on older homes, occasionally in a small pit in the garden.
Turn the handle clockwise to close it. If it's stiff, don't force it with a pipe wrench, because old stopcocks can snap. Use the meter valve instead.
2. The valve at the water meter
The municipal meter is usually in a box on the pavement outside your property. Most have a valve on the house side of the meter that you can turn off. This is a good backup if your stopcock is seized.
3. Geyser isolating valve
For a geyser leak, you can often shut off just the geyser's cold supply at the isolating valve next to the geyser (in the ceiling or a cupboard). Switch off the geyser at the DB board first. See burst geyser: what to do first.
After shutting off the water
- Switch off the geyser at the distribution board if it might be affected.
- Open a cold tap at the lowest point in the house to drain the pipes.
- Mop up and move valuables, and take photos for insurance.
- Call a plumber. For after-hours emergencies, see emergency plumbers in Benoni.
Do it today
Find your stopcock now, check that it turns, and show everyone in the house where it is. If it's seized or leaking, have a plumber replace it. It's a small job that pays off the day something bursts.