The kitchen sink is found at the very heart of each family home as well as being the most used and special place in every house. It is a good idea to have a clean and well-organized sink area, but it’s also very easy to get into trouble with water under the sink if you don’t know what to do when things go wrong.
The kitchen sink is where we prepare meals, bake, entertain and although it is seen as a central hub, it’s also a central fixture where you wash your dishes, fill up your water and clean your fruit and veg.
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What we mean by if things go wrong is that water is constantly flowing from under the sink when no one has touched it!
This can be annoying and eventually lead to other problems in your whole plumbing system. This is why we have written this article to tell you just what to do when you need to switch off the water under the kitchen sink.
You not only need to know how to do this for when things go wrong, but you might even want to just simply do some DIY plumbing or remove your sink to replace it with a more fashionable one.
No matter what, you need to know how to turn the water supply off if you are going to do any kind of repair or replacement work on your kitchen sinks.
How Do I Turn The Water Supply Off Under The Sink?
So you can turn off your water, you will first need to find or look for the shutoff valve for your water. This could be found on the central water valve, so check there first and foremost.
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A common location for this is of course under the sink. However, it could be anywhere in the home or your garden outside at a hose connection, if you own a hose for watering all your plants and grass.
Often, there are no marks or stickers on these valves and this can make them difficult to locate. However, keep persevering and exploring your home until you find something with a knob and it is shaped very round.
Continue to look underneath your pipes, they should resemble cylinders sticking out over the floor underneath your sink. These would usually lead up into an area beneath the cabinet and near the back wall, or behind other plumbing supplies like your garbage disposal.
Instructions
Now you have found the water shutoff valve, it’s time to go through each step of how to turn your water supply off under your kitchen sink.
Step 1
Turn off the faucets. You will probably need to turn off the valve first to stop the flow of water.
Step 2
Now you need to open the cabinet which you can find located underneath the sink.
Step 3
The next step is to empty the contents of the cabinet to give you enough space to find the pipes and valves below. Use a flashlight to help you, or the torch on your phone.
Step 4
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Find the large PVC pipe. This is the sink drainpipe and runs in the horizontal direction to the wall at the back.
Step 5
Next to this pipe, you will find two different metal pipes or flexible lines. These will run from the tailpiece of the faucet into the wall or sometimes into the floor. These pipes are known as the hot and cold water lines. The cold water one is often on the right side and the hot one is found on the left.
Step 6
Note these different water lines. Before they enter into the wall, you will notice a lever on each pipeline. This lever can also look like a knob or other adjustable mechanism.
Step 7
If it is a knob, you will need to turn it clockwise. This should then shut off the water supply. However, it is a lever; the water supply line is open if the lever is parallel to the pipeline. To turn the water off, you will need to turn it to a right angle to the pipeline.
Step 8
Make sure you turn the knob or lever on each water line. Then, open the taps to drain any remaining water.
Can’t Find The Valves?
If you can’t find the knobs or levers on the pipe under the sink you need to follow the following steps.
- If the pipes don’t have any valves that you can see, look in your basement. Search the area where the pipes enter and the shutoff valves should be there.In locations with cold temperatures, the main water line along with the meter is often found in a utility space such as a basement. However, if you live in a city with warmer temperatures, the shutoff valve and meter are usually found outside such as in the garden.
- You could also find the water heater area if you can’t see the shut-off valves. Two pipes will be located by the water heater. One of them is hot and this one leads out of the heater itself. This pipe is responsible for supplying hot water.The alternate pipe will be for the cold water supply. Find the shutoff valves located on the pipes and twist them both clockwise for knobs and perpendicular for levers, as mentioned earlier in the article.
- If the shut-off valve for the kitchen sink does not switch the water off, you can still turn off the main valve. This is the valve that supplies water to the entire household. The valve is on the main water line.
Final Thoughts
We hope after reading this article you understand why at points you might have to turn off your water supply under the sink and you understand how you can do it successfully.
Following these step-by-step instructions will help you out every step of the way and if you cannot find the valves, keep searching until you do. Alternatively, use our tips on how to turn the water supply off when you physically can’t locate the shutoff valves and you should be good to go!
Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Kitchens