Do you turn off your house's main water valve before traveling?
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Anonymous
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This is our first time at owning a house, and we are going on vacation soon. I have read that some people turn off the main water valve before leaving, to prevent or minimize water leaks.
Just wondering how many people out there actually do this. Am I being paranoid to worry about leaks? Also, if I turn off the water valve for an extended period (i.e., a week), is there anything else I need to do in tandem, like adjust the water heater? TIA for your thoughts and advice. |
Anonymous
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My parents do this.
I would, except we have pets so I have a petsitter coming each day to take care of them, and she has to have access to the water to fill up their water bowls, etc. I wish we could, though, becuse we had neighbors growing up whose pipes completely froze and burst one time while they were away. It was a total disaster! |
Anonymous
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No.
Yes, it's a disaster if a pipe bursts while you are on vacation, but it is also a disaster if a pipe bursts while you are at work for the day, and you don't turn off the water every day. The only exception would be a summer house where you are closing it up for months. |
Anonymous
| We do that in our summer house when we are not there. We have a lever that we can turn on/off. We don't do anything else. We don't do it in our house here though. |
Anonymous
| No, but I do shut off water to each to the toilets. |
Anonymous
| I've never heard of this before, unless you are leaving for a long time (summer house that needs to be winterized), there's no need for this. You run the risk of pipes bursting anytime and a leak even while you're at work on away for an overnight somewhere can happen, but you wouldn't turn the water off for that! |
Anonymous
| No, but I do turn off the water supply to the washer. |
Anonymous
| Now we do. We had a water heater leak, and saw inches of water flood the storage room floor. It was definitely less than two days before we noticed, but I can't imagine what it would have looked like if it had gone on longer than that. |
Anonymous
| Yes, the thougth behind turning it off while on vacation, but not everyday when you are at work and such, is because it would be so much longer before anyone noticed anything wrong if a burst pipe or water leak happened while you were away. And sitting water can do so much damage if it sits and sits (and spreads and spreads). That's the thought process behind it. |
Anonymous
| Maybe in alaska |
FBO
Member Location: NoVA
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Member Location: NoVA
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| Only in the winter. Insurance will take care of the rest. |
Anonymous
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We do. I went on vacation with my parents once a decade or two ago, and when we got home to their house at midnight on a Sunday night, it was completely flooded. A toilet in the second floor had burst, and water was flowing throughout the entire house (half of the second floor, all of the first floor, and all of the basement) for the entire two weeks they were gone.
If they had been at work, they would have caught the leak within hours of it starting. As it was, almost everything they owned was ruined (plus the wood floors, plus the ceilings, plus the walls...) The living room was literally a wading pool. Nightmare. |
Anonymous
| OP here. Thanks a bunch for the feedback! For those of you who shut off the valve, is that all you need to do? For example, I've read that, if you shut off the main valve, you should also set the water heater on vacation or pilot mode -- but I'm not sure why this would be necessary. |
Anonymous
About 25 years ago, my grandmother was on a three week trip. A one-story home but similar experience--a nightmare, for sure!! |
Anonymous
Yes. I also unplug all appliances except refrigerator and freezer. One house fire, frozen or burst pipe is not worth the risk. |