💧 Plumbing advice
Where is my stopcock? How to find it and turn off your water
Do this now
- Look under the kitchen sink first. That's where most are.
- Turn it clockwise until it stops. Don't force it.
- Open the cold taps to drain the pipes.
- If it won't turn or you can't find it, call a plumber rather than forcing it.
What a stopcock is
Your stopcock (or stop tap) is the valve that controls the mains water coming into your home. Turn it off and no more water comes in. In a burst pipe or a bad leak, it's the most important thing in the house, which is why it's worth finding now, not in a panic.
Where to look
It's usually where the water pipe comes into the house, which is normally on the front side of the property. The most common places:
- Under the kitchen sink. By far the most common.
- A downstairs toilet or utility room.
- Under the stairs or in a hallway cupboard.
- In the garage.
- Under the floorboards near the front door, often in older houses.
- In a flat, it may be in your airing cupboard, or in a shared cupboard in the corridor. Ask your landlord or management company.
There's also an outside stop tap, usually under a small cover in the pavement or near your boundary. That one belongs to the water company and needs a special key.
How to turn it off
- Turn the handle clockwise until it stops. Righty-tighty.
- Open the cold tap in the kitchen. If the flow slows to nothing, it's off.
- Open the other cold taps to drain the pipes.
If you have a water tank in the loft, some taps and toilets will still run for a while from the tank. That's normal.
If it won't turn
Stopcocks that haven't been touched for years often seize. Don't force it with grips or a wrench. Old stopcocks can snap, and then you've got a much bigger problem with no way of turning the water off. If it won't move by hand, call a plumber. In an emergency, the water company can turn off the outside stop tap.
A seized or hard-to-reach stopcock is worth replacing before you need it. It's a quick job for a plumber.
Common questions
Which way do I turn a stopcock to turn it off?
Clockwise, until it stops. Don't force it.
Can I turn off the outside stop tap?
It belongs to the water company and needs a special key. In an emergency, call your water company or a plumber.
Why is water still coming out after I turned it off?
If you have a loft tank, it keeps feeding some taps until it empties. If the kitchen tap is still running at full pressure, the stopcock isn't fully closed or isn't working.