We should start with the most important thing to know for any Homeowner. You need to identify the service shutoffs for your home and familiarize yourself with their functions.

 The water shutoff for newer homes is usually at the front door, or in, or near the garage. Of course with older homes it might be anywhere. Most of the time it will be a one inch copper pipe with a valve below and a hose spigot above. More often than not, the valve is a "gate valve". It will have a round handle that is turned multiple times. The turning drives a plug (called the gate) down into a seat and that prevents the water from flowing. If you are lucky the valve will be a ball valve. The ball valve is activated by a short handle. The handle in the position in-line with the pipe means that the water is flowing. The handle turned across the direction of the pipe means that the water has been successfully shut off. If you do have a "gate valve" you should consider changing it to a ball valve, as "gate valves" are notorious for failing just when you need them most. For most needs, it is best to have a hose attached to the spigot and when the water is shut off the house pressure can be relieved by, having the end of the hose where it is safe to discharge the water, and opening the spigot.

The gas shutoff is at the gas meter. It will require a wrench to turn the gas valve. There is a rectangular projection that is turned by a crescent wrench (adjustable spanner), an open end wrench or a wrench special made for this purpose. The special wrench might be made out of steel, aluminum, or fiberglass. The fiber glass type can be left near the valve on a string or wire and will probably not be stolen by metal thieves. After turning off the gas (similar to the ball valve for water) you can vent  excess gas pressure to the outside by removing the plug just above the valve. The plug is on the outbound branch of the "TEE" fitting that connects the valve to the gas meter.

The electrical box (some times called the fuse box, although fuses haven't been used for many years) is usually located outside your home. This is where you would turn off a circuit to do work inside on that circuit, or to stop an electrical fault from becoming a bigger problem. It is also necessary to understand how to turn on a circuit. This can be confusing. Follow these steps.

1. Identify the circuit that has "tripped". This can be tricky. You will need to find the breaker whose handle is out of position compare with the other breakers. This might be subtle or you might even have to push lightly on the handles to find the loose one.
2. Once identified the handle must be moved to the fully off position. Don't be confused by the terminology "off" and "on." The words mean different things when referring to power flow and handle position. For power flow, it is best to say "energized" or "de-energized." When speaking of the breaker handle there are three positions. These are:  OFF; ON; and TRIPPED. In the ON position the circuit is energized, but in the OFF and TRIPPED positions the circuit is de-energized. Pushing the handle to the fully off position will reset the internal mechanism and prepare the breaker to be returned to the ON position. The handle can now be returned to the fully ON position.
3. If the breaker becomes re-TRIPPED immediately, stop there and call an electrician.

I hope this has been helpful.

Terry Pold