How to Find and Turn Off Your Water Meter Stopcock
Where the water meter usually sits on a Ferntree Gully property and how to turn the water off fast.
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Where to look
In most Ferntree Gully homes, the water meter is near the front boundary, close to the footpath or nature strip and usually on the side of the property nearest the water main. It might be in a small box set into the ground, behind a shrub, or hidden under mulch and fallen leaves. On battle-axe blocks and units, meters are often grouped together near the street, so check the labels or numbers to find yours.
How to turn it off
The stopcock is the tap or valve on the meter assembly, usually on the house side of the meter. Most are a round handle or a lever. Turn a round handle clockwise until it stops. For a lever, turn it so it sits across the pipe rather than along it. Then open a tap inside to check the water has stopped.
If it will not turn
Old stopcocks can seize after years without use. Do not force it with a large wrench, because you can break the valve or the pipe. Call us and we can turn it safely and replace the valve so it works next time.
Other valves in the house
Many fixtures have their own isolation valves: small taps under sinks and basins, behind toilets and at the inlet of the hot water unit. Turning these off lets you stop a leak at one fixture without cutting water to the whole house.
Tanks and pumps
If your home uses rainwater through a pump, turning off the mains stopcock may not stop the water. Switch off the pump at the power point too.
Ferntree Gully ground and pipes
Ferntree Gully's ground changes as you climb towards the ranges: clay and silty loam on the lower streets, rockier, steeper ground near Upper Ferntree Gully and The Basin. Most homes built before the 1980s were connected with earthenware sewer pipe, and on a slope every joint moves a little over the years and lets roots in. Water service lines from the meter are often long and run through rocky ground or under established gardens. Stormwater has to be carried down the block and away from the house. We use cameras, locators and pressure tests to see what is happening before we dig.
Related services
- Emergency plumbing
- Blocked drains
- Hot water
- Gas fitting
- Hot water replacement
- Heat pumps
- Leaking taps
- Burst pipes
- Toilets
- Leak detection
- Pipe relining
- Stormwater
- Roof and gutters
- Bathrooms
- Kitchens and laundries
- Backflow and maintenance
More guides
Questions on this topic
Where is my water meter in Ferntree Gully?
Usually near the front boundary close to the footpath, often hidden under plants or leaves. On units it may be grouped with others near the street.
Which way do I turn the stopcock to turn it off?
Clockwise for a round handle. For a lever, turn it across the pipe.
Why foothills homes call us
Foothills know-how
Sloping blocks, big gums, clay sewers and gas heaters from the 1970s: this is the plumbing we work on every day.
Price first, work second
A licensed plumber finds the fault and agrees a fixed price with you before anything starts.
Camera, not guesswork
Drain cameras, pressure gauges and leak detection tools show the real cause before we dig or replace.
Respect for your home
Boot covers, drop sheets, old parts taken away and the job tested with you.
Get a free quote
Tell us what is going on and a licensed Ferntree Gully plumber will call you back.
How quoting works
Ring 03 7036 4101 or send the form with a short note, and a photo if you have one. A licensed plumber calls you back, asks a few questions and books a time. On site they find the cause, explain your options and give you a fixed price. Nothing starts until you agree, and larger jobs get a free written quote.
Need a plumber in Ferntree Gully?
Ferntree Gully, Upper Ferntree Gully, Boronia, Rowville, Knoxfield and the Knox foothills. Quote-only: the plumber finds the fault, then gives you a fixed price.