Shutting your water off at the curb is simple when you know what to do. In this short video tutorial, City of Gresham Field Customer Service representative Eric Hanson demonstrates the steps. Questions? Call us at 503-618-2373.
A note of CAUTION here when you lift up the cover and/or remove it - Check the under side of the cover and do not reach into the underground cavity area where the meter and shutoff valve are until you are certain that there are no BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS under the cover or inside the underground cavity space!
Damn good advice A bite from one is more potent than that of a Rattlesnake. You taking the time to make that comment may just end up saving a life someday.
Jeff G unfortunately I have no way of avoiding them 😕I’m a garbage man and they are everywhere in the truck/under the truck. Luckily no bites yet knock on wood
Good point. I just lifted mine and there was nothing in it, but I was a little nosey and lifted the neighbor's and sure enough there was a black widow in there. I'll let them know.
Thanks man, my tub was leaking like crazy. I got tired of waiting for the Plummer so I wanted to turn off the water and thanks to you I got to turn it off! Thanks!
Just so you know, each faucet in the house has its own, individual shutoff, also. You don't need to turn off the whole property to service a single, leaky washer.
My tub does not have its own well it should but its nowhere I can locate and I've turned off water before to a tub. It's not behind the manifold it's not by the toilet it's not under the sink help and I see so many slugs by the water plate ..
Thanks I needed this and just bought that "tool" at Lowes for under $6.00 should always have one of these tools in any house you live in, esp when you don't know where or if there is a shut off valve connected to the house. We had this issue with both brand new house and 60+ year old house so don't think you don't need one just because you have a new house.
I tried to turn the knob with my hands and then with a regular wrench but was a afraid to break the plastic. Thanks for reminding me there's an actual tool that we all should have - made life so much easier!
Hey thank you for the info you saved my headache Because my dad had one in the back storage I knew he had one but I wasn’t using it correctly after watching this I got it shut off
Thanks for a great video. I find a wet dry shop vac helps when the meter box is full of water. In 10 seconds the box is dry and you can see what you are doing.
Thanks for this video man, my apartment complex turned off the water for winter and had to turn it back on. This video was a Lifesaver! luckily I only needed some pliers to open the valve :D
You can use a combination wrench (box end/open end) wrench with the open end that just fits over the valve handle AND a screwdriver through the closed or box end on the opposite end of the wrench. On mine, a 9/16 inch or 15 mm works fine. Also watch out for Black Widow spiders, they love water meter boxes. Spray inside with some strong insecticide or bug killer first.
It might be the best tool but its not the only tool in case you have an emergency. I use robogrips or a large adjustable wrench. But I will probably buy one of these wrenches.
I've always called them water tees. Don't know if that's the proper name for them or not. But over the years I've accumulated a couple of them hanging on the wall of my shed.
That's were the city cuts off your water when you don't pay your bill! There is a customer cut off between the meter and your home usually right outside the meter box.
Free master class that no one just learning will understand so that they can reel ya in to pay $9.99 monthly or a one lump sum payment of $428! Please say I’m wrong cause this would be great for my little one!
Beware...What this guy is not telling you, is that the valve he is showing you to use, is the city's valve (plumbers code),which is on their side of the water meter. If you break it, they will charge you for it. If available, use the valve on the other side of the meter. All water departments have an on call person 24 hours a day, and is free to call and turn it off. 21 year water department guy here.
Thank you. I'm also a waterman, and the amount of people and plumbers who get on our stops and break them is incredible. Then they cry when they have to pay 6k-14k to get our distribution team and a backhoe out there to repair it.
My sprinkler system was apparently not connected to my house shutoff. Not sure why they did it that way but its good to know the street shuts off anything.
Is it closed if valve perpendicular to line? Or do you have to line up the holes making the arrow point opposite way which is a 180 degree turn and makes the valve straight in line with the pipe, what I've always been taught would be "on"
I have a round meter cap with the meter in there. Is my water valve on and off in there is well? Why am I hearing that it might be 3 feet away from that downward
I bought my house (built in 1960s) 2 years ago and have never known where to shut off the water. i assumed it was in the crawlspace. However, there is an obvious water access point out on the sidewalk directly in front of my house. I figured that was the meter the city uses to bill me for my usage. But according to this video it's the main to my house and I will need to get one of these "keys". The one thing I'm not sure of is how to access the valve itself. The cover to access the valve looks heavy like a smaller version of a man hole. Do I need a crowbar to lift the hatch out?
We have one of these but its in a small round tube. Problem for us is someone put a rock in it! How do we remove the rock?? Any help would be appreciated
Well that explains why I'm sitting here with a sore thumb from trying to turn that stupid thing for an hour. I thought it was cuz I didn't eat my Wheaties. 😒
Riiighhttttttttt - clearly a mans strong hands, vice grips, channel locks, shoddily made Sanford And Son crude wooden tool, two butter knives taped together with a 4 block LEGO as a spacer, 1" NPT union nut, or any number of random creative objects cannot turn a valve.... I love these videos, and it shows because I waste my damn time and 0.001% of my brain power in trying to help those without a single problem solving ability or skill set complete a most basic task that the worlds most stupidest crow/raven can understand - "turn the doohickey this way for a treat!"
If you can't get a hold of local municipal services, or it's after hours/weekend, and you have a bad water leak, always call 911, police and fire will be able to at least shut it off to make it safe for you and your home. Well the fire dept will, the police will stand there and watch...lol (25yrs on the job as firefighter, have many good cop buddies, the previous joke was in good fun, we tease each other all the time)
