How To Shut Water Off At The Curb

If you have an issue with your main water shutoff it can be critical to have the ability to turn the water off at the curb. This can allow you to repair/service your main water shutoff or avoid damage to your home. Overall the process is easy but the best time to test this out is not during an emergency.

Tools Every Weekend Warrior Needs

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[EverydayHomeRepairs]

Tools Every Weekend Warrior Needs

DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.

[ValiantSlantSix]

Show a Close-Up of the U-Shaped Bottom of the long-handled curb key !
Please.

[rooftopvoter]

A 1" pipe nipple with a slot cut in it to fit our 90º shutoff and then use a reducer coupling to connect the longer 1/2" pipe extension up to whatever handle type you want to make. Also a crescent wrench works easy if you get on knees to turn it. Here in Florida, my water shutoff is 2" in the dirt, no frostline here.

[NipkowDisk]

IIRC a curb key was one of the earliest items I bought after I purchased my house. Very handy indeed.

[Trixie]

Midwesterner who moved to Dallas. There IS NO INSIDE water shut off - Just found and figured out how to shut it off outside. It's about a foot deep. My Dad is now pleased. :D

[Grogbelly]

Tip to find your water main out at the curb if you're having trouble: I had some difficulty locating my main shutoff out at the curb, called the water company, they came out in a few hours, when they got there, they told me that there is often a "W" or other indicator scratched into the concrete at the curb which corresponds to the left-right location (relative to the mark on the curb concrete) of the water main for that house. In my case, that water main valve was directly in line with the "W" in the concrete, but was about 8 feet back from the curb and had bushes over top of it and sod partially grown over it. I would have NEVER found it without digging up who knows how much of the lawn...

[jerrym]

i found it real easy and open it real fast. found it with the lawn mower

[bruceketchum]

Not mentioned... I assume that you turn the valve clockwise to shut off the valve? Like putting a cap on a bottle? Is it a quarter turn? Half turn? I'd hate to wreck the valve.

[jimpie]

I don’t know where you are in the Midwest, but I’m in the Chicago area and here we have “buffalo boxes”. They have a 5 sided recessed plug, which needs a special tool to remove. The town where I’m at, will open the top screw for you if you call. Years ago (1980) I had a neighbor that was a tool & die maker and he made us some 7’ keys for this & I still have 2. Works the same as yours, 1/4 turn & water is off,
your incoming valve with a 1/4 turn, full flow ball valve, and your problems will be over forever!

[keithp]

Here in Southeast Michigan, we have a pentagon key located on the sidewalk. We have to call the city for a shutoff. I tried the vice grip but it's tight as hell! Great info for everyone Scott!

[billymack]

Thanks for the info! I can't turn the valve seems to be stuck any solution would be greatly appreciated.

[spmince]

Anyone thinking about getting one of these should check with their water department and make sure it’s not illegal to tamper with the curb box.

[mikejones]

Sometimes, the curb is marked, and if the shut off valve is in the yard, your driveway edge will be marked with a "W", a " I " or a " II ". Where the curb and driveway marks cross is the location. My builder did this for my Sewer clean-out location, never checked or asked if he also did for water shutoff valve. Perhaps the different markings is correlated with what is being located.

[McTroyd]

Thanks for showing this! Always wondered how to get the cover open -- and the answer is always "vise grips." 😁🤦‍♂️ I'm in a position where my water main is WAY less accessible (all the way through a crawlspace under my house) than the utility cover (in the middle of our front yard). Is there any reason you can think of I shouldn't use that valve for the (hopefully rare) case of a main shutoff? Any reason to think this valve is less durable than my main ball valve, etc.?

[FineFlicks]

I'm a west coaster so the shut off valve is maybe 12" below the surface.

The problem I face on a regular basis is that the valve is stuck. I've out cheaters on the T handle of the key and twisted to the point that the shaft twists into a pretzel without ever rotating the valve stem.

I'd love to learn what to do when that happens.

[jakec]

Any tips on how to locate the curb shut off ?

[gregszful]

My outside cap comes tight off. Hit it a couple times with mower. I am not going to shut off myself. I want to remove 2 inside shutoffs and replace one to ball valve. Valves in series will limit flow, and I think a ball valve offers better flow.

[Quentyn]

Biggest problem is that in the northeast they are 6 feet deep and the hole is plugged with dirt, so there is no access to the valve. You have to call the water company to clean it out

[Quisqueyax]

Read this. We got the tool from home depot. We try to close the valve located at about 3-4 feet deep and the valve only opened half way. Water stopped, then we cut the home pipe to replace the leaking valve. Suddenly, water came in full and we ended calling city emergency services. Do not attempt to close that street valve with the home depot tool.

[socalcaiman]

I would add to your video that if the curb shutoff is really difficult to turn then to stop and contact the city. In my region, you break it, the city repairs and gives a hefty bill. Not a fine but bill.