How do I turn off the water in my HDB flat?

1. 1Take your keys and a torch. Go out to the meter compartment along the common corridor and open it.
2. 2Find the meter labelled with your unit number. In older blocks the labels can be faded, so check twice. Closing the wrong one cuts off your neighbour, not you.
3. 3Close the stopcock next to your meter. A round handle turns clockwise until it stops. A lever turns a quarter turn until it sits across the pipe.
4. 4Go back in and open the kitchen tap. A short spurt, then nothing, means the supply is off.

HDB's own home care guide gives the same instruction: shut the stopcock at the PUB water sub-meter when there is a leak. Stopcock, or stop cock, is simply the everyday name for this main stop valve.

If the leak is at one tap, toilet or hose, you can close only the small angle valve under the sink, behind the toilet or beside the washing machine. Turn it clockwise. The rest of the flat keeps its water.

Some older flats have no handle at all, only a bare square or grooved spindle. You need a square tap key or an adjustable spanner. Grip the spindle and turn clockwise with steady pressure, not a sudden jerk. The fittings are brass and soft.

If a handle is stuck, turn it a little anticlockwise first to break the scale, then clockwise to close. Do this two or three times. Do not hit it with a hammer or put a long pipe on the spanner for leverage.

While you wait, close every angle valve you can reach inside, put pails under the leak and lay towels at the doorways. If water is spraying from a pipe joint, wrap a towel tightly round it to slow it down.

A valve that is leaking at the meter itself, or on the pipe before the meter, is PUB's equipment. PUB maintains the supply up to and including the meter. Everything after it is yours.

Low pressure across the whole block is usually the booster pump, not your valve. HDB tells residents to inform the town council about that.

Close every tap in the flat. Look at the meter dial for a minute. If it still turns with your stopcock closed, the valve is letting water through.

Flush the toilet once. If the cistern refills, water is still getting past the valve, or you closed the wrong one.

A valve that passes water needs replacing. That is work on the water service pipe, so it should be done by a PUB Licensed Plumber. Until then, keep the angle valves closed and the pails out.

• Switch off the water heater if the leak is near it, or if the water will be off for a while.
• If water has reached power points or appliances, switch off at the distribution board, but only if you can reach it without standing in water.
• Mop up fast. Water left on the floor can seep through to the flat below and turn into a ceiling leak for your neighbour.
• Take photos and a short video of the leak and any damage, for your insurer or for the neighbour below.

To turn the water back on, open the stopcock slowly, one turn at a time. Then run each tap until the air stops sputtering. HDB's advice for air locks is the same: let the tap run for a while.

If you rent, tell the owner or agent. But do not wait for permission while water is on the floor. Shutting the stopcock does no harm and stops the damage. Leave the repair decision to the owner.

In most condos the stop valve is inside the unit, usually near the kitchen. If you cannot find it, ask security or the management office, who know where each unit's valve is.

In a landed house the main valve is at the PUB meter near the gate. Keep a torch where you can find it at night.

Find your meter and mark your stopcock with tape or a cable tie. Turn it closed and open once to check it moves. If it is stiff now, it will be worse at midnight.

If your valve is a bare spindle, buy a square tap key at a hardware shop and keep it by the door with a torch. Photograph the spindle and show the shop staff so you get the right size.

If the valve will not move at all, or the meter turns with everything shut, get it replaced in normal hours. WhatsApp us a photo of the meter compartment, 24/7. We give you a price range before anyone comes, and the final price is agreed before work starts. See water pipe leak repair in HDB flats for what that job usually involves.