Requirement
5. Water: shut it off, then choose two of five
Required Often forgotten
The stem is not a heading. Before the two lettered jobs you must locate the main water source and know how to turn it off, well pumps included, and that part is compulsory. It is also new since the printed book.
Notes and warnings
Warning. THE FIRST LINE OF THIS REQUIREMENT IS A JOB, NOT A HEADING. Before the two lettered choices, you are asked to locate the main water source and know how to turn it off, well pumps included. It is compulsory and it is not one of the five options. It is easy to miss because requirements 2, 3, 4 and 6 all open with a supervision clause and go straight into their lists, so by the time you reach 5 the eye skips the first line. Do it properly: find the valve, turn it, and check that it actually moves. A stopcock that has not been touched in fifteen years often will not, and finding that out during a burst pipe is the wrong time. If your water comes from a well, shutting it off means the pump too, and that is an electrical switch somewhere else entirely.
What this is made of
Where this step comes from
- Home Repairs Merit Badge Requirements (Merit Badge Hub, last modified 2025-12-31), Requirement 5 · The requirement opens by asking you to locate and know how to turn off the main water source, including well pumps, before its two lettered choices.