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Shutoff videos

Water, gas and power. Watch it once, know it forever.

Every house is a little different, but most shutoffs follow the same few patterns. These short videos walk through a typical home in the Pacific Northwest.

Only shut off utilities in an emergency. Once a meter is off, don't turn it back on yourself. Contact the utility company. If you smell gas, get everyone out first and call 911 from a safe distance.

Water · 58 sec

The water shutoff

Start at the meter box near the street, then follow an imaginary line to the nearest wall of the house. That's usually where the water comes in, and where the shutoff is: in the garage, the basement or the crawl space.

  • Turn the house valve clockwise until it stops
  • Use the street meter only if you can't find the house valve, and turn it slowly
  • Test your valve once a year; old ones seize
Read: Where's My Water Shutoff? →
Natural gas · 48 sec

The natural gas shutoff

The valve is on the pipe coming out of the ground beside the gas meter. Shutting it off takes a quarter turn with a wrench, so the tab ends up crosswise to the pipe.

  • Only shut it off if you smell gas, hear a leak or see damage
  • Keep a wrench where you can find it, near the meter
  • Once it's off, only the gas company should turn it back on
Electricity · 31 sec

The electricity shutoff

Your main breaker is usually at the top of the electrical panel, often in the garage or a utility room. Switching it off cuts power to the whole house.

  • Stand on a dry surface and use one hand
  • Switch off the individual breakers first, then the main
  • Label your breakers now, while the lights are on

Now do it for your house.

Dwell Secure walks you through photographing each of your own shutoffs, pins them on a map, and shares them with everyone who lives there.

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