• Book Now
  • (206) 654-4986
dustra
  • Plumbing
    • Leak Detection
    • Drain Cleaning
    • Sewer Repair
    • Side Sewer Repair
    • Trenchless Pipe Repair
    • Water Line Repair
    • Water Line Installation
    • Piping & Repiping
    • Lawn Sprinkler Services
    • Fixture Services
    • Toilet Repair
    • Water Softeners
    • Sewer Cleaning
    • Garbage Disposals
  • Water Heaters
    • Tankless Water Heaters
    • Heat Pump Water Heaters
    • Water Heater Repair
    • Water Heater Installation
  • HVAC
    • AC Repair & Maintenance
    • AC Installation
    • Furnace Repair & Maintenance
    • Furnace Installation
    • Heat Pump Repair
    • Heat Pump Installation
    • Boiler Repair
    • Ductless Mini Splits
    • Indoor Air Quality
    • UV Light Air Purification
    • Duct Services
  • Coupons
  • Blog
  • About
    • Why Choose Us
    • Awards
    • Community
    • Employment
    • Financing
    • Local Rebates
    • Reviews
    • Video Center
  • Contact
    • Areas We Serve
  • November 22, 2011

Hot Water Heater Emergency Shut-Off

Do You Know Where Your Hot Water Emergency Shut-Off Is?

The Professionals at Seattle’s Fox Plumbing and Heating regularly create short videos on what to do in case of an emergency plumbing or heating situation, preventative steps you can take to protect your home and family and explain products and services that could help you save and be safe. Share these videos with friends, neighbors, and family so they know what to do in an emergency also.

Hot Water Heater Emergency Shut-Off Video

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said “Into Every Life, A Little Rain Must Fall.”

And every so often that rain comes in the form of a busted appliance, accident, nature, disaster, or do it yourself projects gone awry. Its a good idea to know what to do, to prevent an even bigger mess and what to do to protect your home and family in those situations.

Be sure to see King County’s Emergency Preparedness site for more information on being prepared for a major disaster. Check out this short video on what to do if you need to shut down your water heater in case of emergency.

Seattle Hot Water Heater Emergency Shut-Off video by Fox Plumbing and Heating is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

This video is “Closed Captioned” and we are including a transcript here.

When you’re ready for the best,“Think Out of the Box… Talk to Fox!”

Title: Emergency Hot Water Heater Shut-Off

Transcript:

Hi, I’m Mike from Fox Plumbing and Heating.

Today we are going to talk about how to shut down a leaky hot water tank.

Right here we have an electric hot water tank.

It’s Leaking.

We need to shut it down.

Step one.

Turn off the power.

You are going to go to your fuse panel (or breaker box), and look for your fuse (or breaker).

lets go.

At your fuse panel.

Hopefully it is marked correctly.

As to which fuse (or breaker) will turn off the power to your Electric (or gas) hot water tank.

This one (for example) says number 24 and 26.

Coming down here to number 24 and 26.

Turn the fuse (or breaker switch(es) ) off.

Never assume the power is off.

To the hot water tank.

Because things may not be marked correctly at the panel.

Without the equipment nor the knowledge to test it

Just don’t assume the power is off.

Second we need to shut the water off.

As you face the tank on the right hand side is the cold water supply to the tank.

Follow that cold water supply back until you find a valve.

This is called a “gate valve”.

The way it works is it spins to the right.

As you are looking at the handle.

Until it snugs down tight.

Now the water should be off.

Valves may not always turn completely off.

Once again,

To shut down a water heater.

Whether it be gas or electric,

You want to shut of the electricity but don’t assume the power is off.

Second

You need to shut the water off

As you face the tank

on the right hand side

is the cold water supply to the tank.

Follow that cold water supply back until you find a valve.

This called the gate valve the way it works is it spins to the right

as you are looking at the handle.

— End Transcript —

Seattle Sewer Rats in Toilets!
How to Shut off Your Water Supply in an Emergency

Recent Posts

  • Why Are Your Outside Spigots Leaking?
  • Why Does My Toilet Keep Clogging?
  • Why Does Your Sink Drain Water Slowly?
  • What Causes Ghost Flushing and How to Fix It
  • Common Signs of Water Leaks: What to Look For in Your Home
Gene Johnson - Fox Plumbing & Heating

(206) 654-4986

Plumbing License #: FOXPLPHA644R
Construction License #: FOXPLPH7684R
Electrical License #: FOXPLPH768MR

Local Office

7501 2nd Ave S
Seattle, WA 98108

Map & Directions

Quick Links

  • Book Now!
  • About
  • Areas We Serve
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

ADA NOTICE

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
Gene Johnson Family Brands logo

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved.

dustra

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Notice

At Fox Plumbing, Heating, & Cooling, we are committed to ensuring that individuals with disabilities enjoy full access to our websites. In recognition of this commitment, we are in the process of making modifications to increase the accessibility and usability of this website, using the relevant portions of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) as our standard. Please be aware that our efforts are ongoing. If at any time you have difficulty using this website or with a particular web page or function on this site, please contact us by phone at (206) 654-4986 place "Web Content Accessibility (ADA)" in the subject heading and we will make all reasonable efforts to assist you.