Find your water shutoffs before the freeze

On city or county water

• The house shutoff is usually where the water line comes into the house: in the crawl space near the front foundation wall, in a utility closet, next to the water heater, or in the garage. It may be a round-handle gate valve or a lever-handle ball valve.
• The meter is in a box near the street. The City of Newberry says its line ends at the meter, and the line from the meter to the house belongs to the property owner. Use your own house valve when you can; the valve at the meter may need a special key.
• Call the City of Newberry at 803-321-1018 (803-276-0311 after hours), or the Newberry County Water & Sewer Authority at (803) 276-7020, for a leak at or before the meter or a main break in the street.

On a private well

• Turn off the breaker for the well pump, usually labeled "well" or "pump" in the panel.
• Close the valve after the pressure tank, if there is one, to stop the tank from emptying into the house.
• If the pump house or wellhead has frozen or split pipes, leave the pump off until it is repaired. Wells in a freeze.

Test it before winter

Turn the main valve off and back on once in the fall. Old gate valves seize up and can break when forced. If yours will not turn or drips at the stem, have a plumber replace it before the cold arrives. Label it, and show everyone in the house where it is.

Other shutoffs worth knowing

• The valve on the cold line into the water heater.
• The valves under each sink and behind each toilet.
• The washer valves and the ice maker line.
• The irrigation system's own shutoff, usually before the backflow preventer. Irrigation in winter.

After the water is off

Open a low faucet to drain the lines, turn off the water heater, photograph the damage and start drying. The U.S. EPA says to dry wet areas within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold. Drying out after a leak.