No phone number, ever. We never sell your info.Answers before any sign-up.Your home record is yours. Export any time, free.Every number shows its source and date.
Sign inSave my home

Is this an emergency?

Danger first. If any of the red rows below is happening, use that card now: no questions, just how to get safe. Everything else gets one of five urgency levels: Emergency now, Today, This week, This month or Watch. Any card can still send you to a safety exit if you mention gas, smoke or a CO alarm.

§ 01 Danger: get safe first

Leave or cut the power, then call

I smell gasLeave first. Call from outside.CO alarm is soundingGet to fresh air first. Then call.Sparks or a hot outletCut the power if you can do it safely. Otherwise leave.Water near electricsStay out of the water. Power off only from somewhere dry.Ceiling sagging or structure movingGet clear of it. Then call.
Call 911
§ 02 Symptoms

Pick what you are seeing

Water heater

Water, pipes and drains

Cooling

Heating

Electrical

Roof, ceiling and foundation

Air and moisture

Alarms and appliances

§ 03 Shutoffs

Know your shutoffs before you need them

Find all three this week and label them. casaq covers the shutoffs and resetting a breaker; anything behind a panel cover or on a gas valve beyond the shutoff is licensed work.

Main water shutoff

Where: Where the water line enters the house: a basement or crawlspace wall, the garage, a utility closet, or near the water heater in warm climates. Not the street valve in the box at the curb, which needs a special tool.

  1. Find it now, before you need it, and tag it so everyone in the house can find it.
  2. A round handle turns clockwise to close; a lever handle closes when it is crossways to the pipe.
  3. Check it closes fully: shut it, then open a faucet. If water keeps flowing or the valve is seized, have a plumber replace it.
  4. After closing it in an emergency, open a low faucet to drain the pipes, and turn off the water heater’s energy.
Don’t force a valve that won’t turn with hand pressure; a broken valve can flood faster than the leak you are stopping.

Gas shutoff

Where: At the gas meter outside (a valve on the pipe before the meter), and a smaller shutoff valve on the gas line next to each appliance.

  1. If you smell gas or hear hissing, get everyone out first. Turn off the gas at the outside meter valve only if you can do it quickly and safely, then call the gas company from a neighbor’s home or a safe distance.
  2. Meter valves are different, so ask your gas company how yours works. Know where the wrench is kept, but don’t practice by actually turning the gas off.
  3. An appliance valve is closed when its handle is crossways to the pipe.
Once the gas is shut off, only the gas utility or a qualified professional turns it back on and relights pilots. Never turn it back on yourself.

Electrical panel and main breaker

Where: The breaker panel (or fuse box), often in a garage, basement, utility room or hallway. The main breaker is usually the large one at the top, labeled MAIN.

  1. To shut off power, switch off the individual circuit breakers first, then the main breaker.
  2. To reset a tripped breaker, push it fully to OFF, then back to ON, once. If it trips again, leave it off.
  3. Label your breakers while nothing is wrong; it saves minutes when something is.
Never touch the panel, breakers or outlets while standing in water or with wet hands. Never remove the panel cover: everything behind it is electrician work.

casaq triage library: original guidance written from public utility and safety sources (Ready.gov, CPSC, NFPA, U.S. Fire Administration, EPA). General guidance, not a diagnosis. Licensed-pro review is shown on each card; until a named reviewer is recorded it says “licensed-pro review pending”. In any doubt, call 911 or your utility.