How to find and
turn off your stop tap.
Knowing where your stop tap is — before you need it — is the single most useful plumbing tip there is. Take two minutes to find yours today.
Where to look
Most stop taps are under the kitchen sink. Other common places: a downstairs toilet or cloakroom, a utility room, under the stairs, in a garage, or where the water pipe comes up through the floor.
In flats, it may be in a cupboard in the hallway or near the front door.
How to turn it off
Turn it clockwise until it stops. Don't force it hard. Then open the cold taps to drain the pipes and take the pressure off a leak.
If it's stuck
Stop taps that haven't been used for years often seize. Don't use excessive force — a broken stop tap is a bigger problem. Ring for help. There's also an outside stop valve, usually under a small cover near your boundary, which belongs to the water company.
Then
Switch off the immersion heater if water is near it, move valuables clear of the water, and ring us. It's worth getting a seized stop tap replaced afterwards so it works when you need it.
Burst pipes, leaks, blocked drains and no-water emergencies. Any hour, any day — we prioritise anything actively causing damage.
Keep reading.
Hard water in Herts & Essex
Why our water is so hard, what it does in your home, and how to check your postcode.
Read the guideTypes of water softener, explained
Harvey's, Kinetico, Monarch and Tapworks compared — power, salt and regeneration.
Read the guideHow to protect your pipes in winter
Simple steps to stop pipes freezing, and what to do if one does.
Read the guideWater where it
shouldn't be?
Every minute counts with a leak. Ring now and a local plumber will talk you through stopping the damage — any hour, any day.