--- title: "Washer Supply Valves and How to Shut Off the Water" description: "The kinds of valve behind a washer, when the manuals say to close them, the pressure a washer expects, and what to do about a valve that sticks." url: "https://washerrepair.center/guides/supply-valves-and-shutoff/" date_modified: "2026-09-25" --- Water and electrical safety # Washer Supply Valves and How to Shut Off the Water The washer shutoff valves are the hot and cold valves where the fill hoses meet the house plumbing. Lever valves close with a quarter turn; round handles take several turns clockwise. Speed Queen asks owners to close them after each wash day, and LG and Speed Queen both say to close them before a trip. A valve that sticks or drips is a plumber's repair. By [WasherRepair.center technical team](https://washerrepair.center/authors/technical-team/) Published September 25, 2026 ## At a glance. Two small valves on the wall decide whether a failed hose wets a towel or a whole floor. Knowing which kind you have, and that they still turn, takes five minutes on an ordinary afternoon. Read the whole guide ### Where Within about 4 feet of the washer Whirlpool's placement guidance; often in a recessed box in the wall. ### Thread 3/4-inch garden-hose Speed Queen: no slip-on or clamp-on connections. ### Water pressure 20 to 100 psi Whirlpool's range; Speed Queen allows up to 120 psi. ### When to close After wash day and before any trip Speed Queen and LG both recommend it. In this guide 1. What you are looking at 2. When to close them 3. Pressure, temperature and both valves open 4. Valves that stick, drip or will not close 5. Step by step 6. Questions ## What you are looking at Behind almost every US washer, two washer shutoff valves come out of the wall or rise from pipes near the floor: hot on the left, cold on the right, often with red and blue marks. Each has a threaded spout that the fill hose screws onto. Speed Queen's instructions specify standard 3/4-inch garden-hose threads and rule out slip-on or clamp-on fittings. Whirlpool asks for the faucets to be within about 4 feet of the washer's fill valves, so the hoses do not have to stretch. ### The kinds of valve you may have Which of these you have decides how you close it and how much you can trust it after years of sitting open. - Round handles that turn several times: the older multi-turn kind, closed clockwise until snug. - Lever handles that move a quarter turn: ball valves, closed when the lever sits across the pipe. - A single lever that closes hot and cold together: a dual shutoff, quick to reach in an emergency. - A plastic box set into the wall with both valves and the drain opening inside it: a washer outlet box, common in newer homes and closets. ### In a closet or behind a stacked pair With a stacked washer and dryer, or a laundry closet with folding doors, the valves are often at chest height behind the dryer or hidden by the upper unit. Find them now, with a flashlight, rather than during a leak. If they cannot be reached without moving the appliances, the main house shutoff becomes the emergency valve, and everyone in the house should know where it is. Source: [Alliance Laundry Systems (Speed Queen) — Installation Instructions for Topload Washers, 204104](https://docs.alliancelaundry.com/tech_pdf/Production/204104en.pdf) — 3/4-inch garden-hose faucets, no slip-on or clamp-on; 20 to 120 psi, slow fill below 20; inlet water at most 125°F; flush lines for about two minutes; [Whirlpool Product Help — Electrical supply needed for a washer](https://producthelp.whirlpool.com/Laundry/Washers/Product_Info/Washer_Installation_Support/Electrical_Supply_Needed_for_a_Washer) — Faucets within 4 feet of the fill valves; 20 to 100 psi; water heater at 120°F ## When to close them A fill hose holds full house pressure every hour the valves are open, whether the washer is running or not. That is why the manufacturers' advice is stricter than most owners' habits. - At the end of each wash day, as Speed Queen's safety instructions ask. - Before a vacation or any long absence, which LG and Speed Queen both recommend. - Before disconnecting, replacing or tightening a fill hose. - Before the washer is pulled out, moved or delivered. - The moment water appears where it should not. Source: [Alliance Laundry Systems (Speed Queen) — User's Guide for Frontload Washers, 808187](https://docs.alliancelaundry.com/tech_pdf/Production/808187en.pdf) — Close the shut-off valves at the end of each wash day; turn off the water for extended non-use; hydrogen gas after two weeks unused; [LG Electronics — Washer Owner's Manual (WM4080)](https://media.us.lg.com/m/12df7154cf356724/original/WM4080_2023_Owners-Manual_Washer_Eng.pdf) — Turn off the faucets and unplug for vacations; hydrogen gas warning for an unused hot-water system Close on a single-lever washer shutoff valve box set into the wall, both hoses attached. ## Pressure, temperature and both valves open A washer is designed around a range of water pressure. Whirlpool gives 20 to 100 psi; Speed Queen's top-load instructions allow 20 to 120 psi and note that pressure below 20 makes fills slow. Pressure above the range strains hoses and inlet valves, and only a plumber can confirm it with a gauge and adjust a pressure-reducing valve on the house supply. Both valves need to be open fully even when you wash in cold. Whirlpool explains that its washers need incoming pressure from both hoses to finish a cycle. For temperature, Whirlpool suggests a water heater set to 120°F, and Speed Queen recommends inlet water no hotter than 125°F. ### After the hot water has sat unused LG and Speed Queen carry the same warning: a hot-water system unused for two weeks or more can collect hydrogen gas, which is explosive. Before running the washer after a long absence, open every hot faucet in the house and let it run for several minutes, with no smoking or open flame nearby. ### After new plumbing or a remodel Speed Queen asks installers to run the supply lines for about two minutes before connecting the hoses, so solder, sand and pipe debris do not end up on the screens inside the washer's inlet valve. A washer that fills slowly just after plumbing work often has exactly that problem. Source: [Alliance Laundry Systems (Speed Queen) — Installation Instructions for Topload Washers, 204104](https://docs.alliancelaundry.com/tech_pdf/Production/204104en.pdf) — 3/4-inch garden-hose faucets, no slip-on or clamp-on; 20 to 120 psi, slow fill below 20; inlet water at most 125°F; flush lines for about two minutes; [Whirlpool Product Help — Electrical supply needed for a washer](https://producthelp.whirlpool.com/Laundry/Washers/Product_Info/Washer_Installation_Support/Electrical_Supply_Needed_for_a_Washer) — Faucets within 4 feet of the fill valves; 20 to 100 psi; water heater at 120°F; [Whirlpool Product Help — Front load washer installation checklist](https://producthelp.whirlpool.com/Laundry/Washers/Product_Info/Washer_Installation_Support/Front_Load_Washer_Installation_Checklist) — Both hot and cold water must be connected and turned on for the washer to complete a cycle ## Valves that stick, drip or will not close A valve that stays open for years can seize. Forcing it with a wrench can snap the handle or crack the valve body, which turns a slow problem into a fast one. A multi-turn valve may also start dripping at the stem, just below the handle, the first time it is turned after a long while. Turning each valve closed and open again every few months keeps it free and tells you it still works. If it does not stop the flow completely, or weeps at the stem after you use it, close the main shutoff and call a plumber. Replacing a valve or a wall box is work on the house supply, not on the washer. ## Where to stop Call a plumber when a valve will not turn by hand, will not stop the flow, drips at its stem or body, or shows green or white crust around the threads. The same goes for pressure you suspect is too high and for anything inside the wall box or the wall. Fill hoses and the connections at the back of the washer are within an owner's reach; the valves and pipes behind them belong to the house plumbing. Written by [WasherRepair.center technical team](https://washerrepair.center/authors/technical-team/). The washer technicians who show up for the appointments booked on this site. Their writing grows out of machines they have taken apart on laundry room floors, checked against the maker's installation and owner's guides wherever those exist. Sources: [Alliance Laundry Systems (Speed Queen) — Installation Instructions for Topload Washers, 204104](https://docs.alliancelaundry.com/tech_pdf/Production/204104en.pdf) · [Alliance Laundry Systems (Speed Queen) — User's Guide for Frontload Washers, 808187](https://docs.alliancelaundry.com/tech_pdf/Production/808187en.pdf) · [LG Electronics — Washer Owner's Manual (WM4080)](https://media.us.lg.com/m/12df7154cf356724/original/WM4080_2023_Owners-Manual_Washer_Eng.pdf) · [Whirlpool Product Help — Electrical supply needed for a washer](https://producthelp.whirlpool.com/Laundry/Washers/Product_Info/Washer_Installation_Support/Electrical_Supply_Needed_for_a_Washer) · [Whirlpool Product Help — Front load washer installation checklist](https://producthelp.whirlpool.com/Laundry/Washers/Product_Info/Washer_Installation_Support/Front_Load_Washer_Installation_Checklist) ## Step by step. Four steps, in the order worth doing them. 01 ### Find both valves Look behind or above the washer for the hot and cold valves or a recessed wall box, using a flashlight. 02 ### Close them Turn a lever a quarter turn until it sits across the pipe, or turn a round handle clockwise until it stops. Do not force either. 03 ### Confirm the water is off Start a short fill with the valves closed. If water still flows into the drum, a valve is not sealing. 04 ### Open them fully again Open both valves all the way and check the hose ends and the valve stems for drips. For the heart of your home. ## Questions owners ask. ### Is it really worth closing the valves after every wash day? Speed Queen asks for it because a hose under constant pressure is what bursts. If the valves are awkward to reach, a lever-type dual shutoff makes the habit a single motion. ### Can I wash in cold with the hot valve closed? Not on many washers. Whirlpool says its washers need pressure from both hoses to complete a cycle, so leave both valves fully open whatever temperature you pick. ### My valves are the old round kind. Should they be replaced? Not if they turn freely, close fully and stay dry. If they stick or drip when used, a plumber can replace them, and many owners choose quarter-turn valves at that point. ### What if the valves are hidden behind a stacked washer and dryer? Then the main house shutoff is your emergency valve, so learn where it is and make sure it turns. When the pair is next pulled out for service, ask for the valves to be checked, and consider having a plumber move them somewhere reachable. ## The problems behind it. Each has a page of its own: what it usually means and the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://washerrepair.center/problems/) Problem ### Washer Not Filling 5 causes, cheapest first Water or electrical risk ### Washer Leaking 5 causes, cheapest first Water or electrical risk ### Washer Overflowing 5 causes, cheapest first ## When it needs a technician. The repairs on the right are where this guide ends when the checks do not settle it. ### Water inlet valve repair A washer that will not fill, fills slowly, fills with only cold water or keeps filling, repaired at the inlet valve and its screens. ### Diagnostic visit One visit that turns standing water, a silent drum, a banging spin or a puddle into one named part and a price. ## More in water and electrical safety. What to do when water reaches the floor, why a burning smell or a tripping breaker means stop, and how to shut a washer down safely. [The whole section](https://washerrepair.center/guides/safety-and-food/) Is it safe to keep running ### Washer Leaking: What to Do First Power before water, valves before mopping, then reading the puddle to tell a hose from the drain, the door boot or a leak inside the cabinet. Is it safe to keep running ### Burning Smell From the Washer: What to Do When to unplug and leave, how a break-in odor differs from a slipping belt or a hot plug, and what never to try with the power on. Guides ### All 18 guides Six sections, by what you are trying to find out. --- **[Read on the site: Washer Supply Valves and How to Shut Off the Water](https://washerrepair.center/guides/supply-valves-and-shutoff/)** **[Book a visit with WasherRepair.center](https://washerrepair.center/schedule/)**